Maelstrom
by bunny angel
Summary: Deaths and rebirths. Sins and salvations. The Senshi and Shitennou once again battle the darkness that threatens to consume them all. [ AU postBSSM Stars, UM, SenShiten. ]
1. a post apocalyptic nightmare

_AU at the end of Sailor Moon Stars. I draw from both manga and anime because I have incomplete knowledge of both, though it's mostly regarding details. _

_Special thanks to Peppermint Storm and The Sailor Senshi Page for all the spiffy information concerning our beloved characters. And more thanks to the folks over at the Shitennou forums for posting my story and introducing me to this world._

2/4/13: Major revisions and edits. Hopefully the story flows better/is overall better.

**prologue: a post-apocalyptic nightmare**

* * *

Ami didn't remember ever being so cold. It penetrated all the way to her bones, prickled along like thousands of little shards of ice digging into her. She heard so clearly the collision of millions of raindrops on asphalt, but she felt nothing but cold.

Why couldn't she feel anything?

Why was it so cold?

Ami didn't like not knowing. Her mind raced along several logical paths, but the conclusion ended up frayed, lost in the haze that surrounded her consciousness.

Finally, one simple logical conclusion leapt out at her.

_Open your eyes, _she told herself. But how did you open your eyes if you could not feel them? _Open your eyes! _She told herself again, desperately, and this time, she envisioned herself doing so.

A small window opened in the darkness, growing wider and wider.

She wanted to smile, but she still couldn't feel her face. Her vision was blurred by the onslaught of raindrops. She refused to shut them—refused to return to the dark. Instead she blinked rapidly, trying to discern her surroundings.

But Ami was distracted and so she still couldn't see, because Ami remembered everything.

* * *

They're like bolts of lightning, Makoto determined, dancing along her skin, just beneath her skin.

But lightning never hurt her like that.

She was just relieved that she could finally move. It was hard at first and she almost lost herself to panic, to the overwhelming despair just hovering at the edge, waiting to consume her. Physicality had always been her strong suit. What was she without it?

She couldn't give in.

She ground her teeth and pulled herself upright. Her fingers gouged the stone, so hard the nails cracked and bled, as they struggled to keep her body standing. Her eyes watered, stung with the dust that her ascent has stirred up from the jagged rubble around her.

She dared not let go.

Her first steps sent her tumbling to her knees again and they shredded on bits of glass and shards of stone. The particles of dust invaded her mouth and she coughed hoarsely. The impact brought tears to her eyes. She ignored the pain and tried again.

She had to get out of here.

She had to find her princess.

She couldn't fail again.

She stared resolutely ahead, moved resolutely ahead, until she cleared the rubble and stood beneath the rain. She smiled fiercely, painfully.

No, she couldn't fail again.

* * *

Minako was moving slowly, but easily. But now that she could focus on things other than her own damaged body, she realized that she was in danger. Her world had somehow become a post-apocalyptic nightmare.

The buildings were vacant, their cement walls crumbling in some places. The streets were filled with abandoned cars, forever stuck in a traffic jam. The copper smell of blood was still in the air even though the rain had washed its presence all away.

Youma lurked _everywhere_.

Her few attempts to access her power were failures. She _had_ no powers. She was a mere human again. And Minako had never felt so helpless. But there was nothing she could do for now. Her only hope was to find the girls. Find Serenity. Try and figure out what exactly happened after she—she shied away from that thought. She couldn't afford to think about her failure now.

But everything was easier said than done. Already she'd encountered more than one monster. And even running away was too much for her body. _Too close_, she thought, too close to death before she could find her princess. So she slunk in the shadows. The proud leader of the Sailor Senshi. She had to. She was needed.

* * *

Rei couldn't feel them. She could feel the darkness permeating the earth. She could feel the multitudes of youma feeding on fading life forces nearby. The sky itself looked drenched in the blood of innocents. The rain even felt tainted somehow. But she couldn't feel the girls. She couldn't feel her princess.

The Senshi in her wanted to leave and find them, celestial powers be damned. But the priestess won't leave the people here to die. Her shrine was one of the last defenses in a 15-mile radius. Her meager spiritual powers kept this place protected. Her grandfather had already given his life to hold it this long, to keep these people alive this long. She would not make his sacrifice worthless.

And so Rei did the only thing available to her. She waited. She pushed the grief and worry to the back of her mind. They had to be alive. She couldn't lose them again.


	2. enemies

**enemies**

* * *

Jadeite stared at himself. He was…human again. He was alive. His cape was gone, as was his ceremonial sword and sheath. But it was still the same brown pants, the same white jacket, and the same leg armor. Millennia of unchange. He stared incredulously around himself, at the familiar living room of his beloved prince and friend, and back down at his body. The feeling of just being able to move brought an amazed smile to his face.

"Yes, it's hard to believe isn't it?"

He looked over at the man standing by the window, also very much dressed like he had eons ago. Nephrite glanced back at him and smiled wryly.

"But…how?" Jadeite almost couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"We don't really know. Zoisite _thinks_ the crystal brought us back." Nephrite pulled the blinds down and gazed outside again. "At least it's his explanation for what we're feeling," he added absently.

Jadeite frowned, standing up and brushing imaginary dirt off his uniform. "Where is Endymion?" The last they'd seen of their prince was before he'd left for America. _How long exactly has it been since then? And just where are you now?_ He joined Nephrite at the window, staring silently at the hordes of beastly humanoid youma roaming the streets. No building had been spared damage, and about roughly half of the buildings he could see were completely destroyed. He wondered just how stable this apartment building was.

"We don't know. Kunzite was the first to come to. He said that no one was here-but things were different since last we saw it, so it seems someone's been staying here." Nephrite turned his back to the window and stared at the floor, his arms crossed.

"Trouble then," Jadeite said grimly.

"Maybe," Nephrite said quietly.

There was almost a defensive edge to Nephrite's tone, like he didn't want to believe anything truly horrible had happened. But as Jadeite stared down at the street, well, he knew better. _No, not maybe. Most definitely. _The power of the golden crystal was everywhere; he could feel it pulsing lightly within him, like the heartbeat of the earth itself—and yet, youma roamed the streets below, something that wouldn't be had Endymion wielded the crystal. He didn't know what that meant about his prince's condition, but something was terribly wrong. A sudden thought occurred to him.

"The Senshi?"

Nephrite shrugged. "The others are scouting about to see if—"

The door to the apartment opened, followed by his missing brothers. Zoisite dropped onto the couch rather unceremoniously, sinking back and throwing an arm up to cover his face.

"The news?" Jadeite inquired.

Kunzite sighed, pushing himself off the closed door and sitting down beside Zoisite. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and balancing his chin on his fists.

"We can assume that they lost, whatever happened," Kunzite replied. His eyes stared at the floor without really seeing. "The Senshi, the princess, and the prince. There is no sign of battle other than a very large crater in the park. We can't discern anything from it. The rain's washed all the evidence away. I can't help but think—"

Jadeite's mind whirled momentarily, pondering this information that deep down he already knew and now had to purposely acknowledge. "Why weren't we consulted before he left for battle?" He wondered aloud. "He always summoned us. Why not this time?"

"It might have happened too suddenly," Kunzite speculated, eyes narrowing in uncertainty. "It certainly seems that way. We've seen meals half eaten still on tables."

"But the prince," Nephrite began, slowly. He pushed himself off the window ledge and paced a little bit away. "How can—"

"There is no evidence to the contrary that Endymion is alive," Zoisite interrupted. His hand dropped to his lap and he leaned forward to look at his companions. "The crystal is active, but it couldn't be if it didn't have a host, something or someone to feed off of."

"Whatever happened, our priority is to find him and the Golden Crystal," Kunzite said. His hands dropped and he straightened. "We'll split and do a proper threat assessment. As far and wide as you can."

Jadeite grinned, happy with the plan of action.

"There's also good news," Kunzite continued. "We've seen the Senshi of Mars. So it seems they all might be alive—or reincarnated."

Zoisite exhaled and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "But we don't know if she's active. Because if she was—"

"She'd be blasting them all back to hell," Jadeite finished. His fire goddess was alive. Jadeite felt his heart lift immensely, but at the same time it ached so intensely. He owed her so much. He didn't dare ask for her love or her forgiveness. But he would spend all of this lifetime and the ones after making it up to her in any way. Her and Endymion.

"—we're going to go look for them. Mars at the moment is protected by the spiritual nexus beneath her temple. The rest might not be so lucky."

* * *

"JADEITE! DUCK!"

Jadeite dropped just as claws snapped shut where his head had been. He rolled to his feet, slashing upwards, but the monster was already flying away. He watched it bank against a building and turn towards him again. He crouched lower in response, eyeing it, but the creature only remained aloft, screeching at him.

Nephrite suddenly appeared beside him, breathing heavily. "That's a big one."

"A big chicken," he muttered. A twisted parody of a very large bird with additional razor teeth was still, essentially, a bird. He glanced around, wary. The street they stood on seemed deserted now, aside from the debris littering the ground. This was their fifth battle and second ambush in a short period of time and he was getting readily tired. How had Kunzite and Zoisite managed to come home looking entirely unruffled? Or was it that so many more of them chose to appear at nighttime?

"Here it comes!"

His gaze flew up to locate the enemy. He shifted again, waiting, and when it was nearly upon him rose to meet it. As he fell backwards with the force of the creature, he kicked upward, dislodging it from his sword and rolling to his feet in one motion. The youma crashed into the ground and did not move again.

"Chicken," he muttered again, wiping the wetness from his face.

"It would be so much easier if we could use powers," Nephrite commented, somewhat mournfully.

Jadeite grinned at him. "Why? Feeling winded?"

"You must be thinking of Zoisite. I opt for convenience," came the lofty reply.

"It won't be so convenient when thousands come looking for the energy."

"But it'd be so much more fun. The more we kill, the less they kill," he replied absently. His brother's gaze was locked onto the sky suddenly and his head cocked in that all too familiar way.

Jadeite snorted softly. He glanced upward. The sky was still mostly cloudy, with large patches of dark sky peeking through. The moon hung in one of those patches, full and luminous but somehow dimmer than he'd ever remembered. The youma weren't the main issue. It was the unknown enemy that still lurked in the shadows that worried them. The enemy powerful enough to take on two very powerful crystals and win. It wasn't attention they wanted just yet.

"Gods," Nephrite suddenly breathed. He suddenly took off sprinting. Jadeite could only stare momentarily before he caught up to his brother.

"What is it?" He shouted, startled by the sudden fear on Nephrite's face.

Nephrite never broke stride, never removed his gaze from some distant point. "I've found her!" His voice was cracked with worry. His next words filled Jadeite with alarm.

"Jadeite, she's dying!"

* * *

Sunlight. Shafts of much too brightness that lanced through her vision and into her brain like little needles.

Makoto winced and turned her head, but it was still there and everywhere. _What in the world is going on?_ Her memories were hazy. _I was…I'm dead…God I'm dead…_

She instinctively swallowed the tears threatening to rise. Her eyes open blearily, her gaze wandering and not really registering. She vaguely recognized her surroundings. Her body ached, some places more than others. As she felt the thick bandage wrapped around her middle, and the bit of skin that separated it from what remained of the upper half of her shirt, thought suddenly returned to her and the fog lifted on her awareness. She sat up slowly, her eyes darting nervously around.

_I'm still alive._

The realization had her shuddering with relief. She examined her surroundings with renewed interest, the familiarity nagging at her conscious. Suddenly it clicked. She was in Mamoru's apartment, and this was his bedroom. She'd only seen the room a few times, when the girls sometimes stayed here to nurse wounds after a battle. She herself had been in here at least twice that she remembered—but always in the darkness of midnight and early morning hours. Her eyes suddenly widened, and her heart began to pound with hope. If she was in Mamoru's apartment, then—Makoto pushed off the covers and climbed over the side of the bed as quickly as her injuries would allow her. She limped to the door, threw it open, and froze.

Her breathing ceased, shock turned into instinct, and she began backing away. The men rose simultaneously and began speaking, but her heart pounded too loudly in her ears to hear. She turned and ran for the balcony, adrenaline pushing the pain and suffocating fear away. But just as she managed to get the lock open, a pair of hands latched onto her, pulled her back, and a voice spoke in her ear. She kicked wildly and struggled for leeway so she could punch her captor, but he seemed to know her goal and refused to let her go.

"Calm down! You have to calm down or you're going to hurt yourself!"

The words registered in her hazy traumatized mind, and Makoto's sensibility returned to her. She stopped struggling and attempted to breathe normally to stop her heart from trying to jump out of her chest.

"You can let go now," she told the hands that had not loosened their firm grip around her, hating the tremor in her voice. "I'm not going to run away."

Once released, she stood slowly and faced her enemies. Nephrite stayed on the floor beside her, but the other three stood just inside the doorway. Beryl's generals. She remembered so clearly each detail. They couldn't be anyone else. Her eyes dropped, unable to look at them. Her jaw worked silently, and her fingers dug into her arm. _We killed them! We killed them._ What kind of nightmare was this? _You died, too, Mako-chan, _said a softer voice inside her head. Makoto took a deep breath. _Okay. Okay, then._

"You saved me," she said, refusing to look directly at Nephrite. "Why?"

"I—we—." He faltered.

"When any other time you would have gladly watched me die. Happily killed me," she finished, noting his flinch with dull interest.

"We are not the evil men we once were, Jupiter," Kunzite said.

Her lips twisted into something bitter and ugly and her eyes lifted to glare at him. His smooth face held none of the cold malice that had resided there in the past.

"That doesn't magically pardon you," she said, her voice not quite a snarl.

"No," he agreed quietly. "It does not."

She looked away again, not wanting to identify the emotion that had risen in those pale irises. She suddenly felt very weepy. She sank slowly to the ground as the last of the adrenaline left her. "What do you want?" How were they even alive? And where was Usagi? The girls? Mamoru? She still had to find them, if they weren't here to kill her. She rubbed her forehead wearily, her other arm still wrapped around her middle to ease the pain that was beginning to make its presence known again.

Movement from Nephrite caused her startle, flinching away. He froze, something incredibly like hurt moving across his face and disappearing before he joined his brothers on the other side of the room.

"We have only seen Mars thus far, and we've searched, but we've only found you. Judging from her actions, or rather—lack of, and the state in which we found you yesterday….it seems that you do not have your powers."

The news of her friend did much to take the edge off the despair that hovered so close to the surface of her mind, despite the heavy lining.

"You're right," she fingered her bandaged knuckles, so bruised from punching things whose skins were only slightly softer than concrete. "So what do you want?" She looked at Kunzite sharply. "I'll slit my own throat before I let myself be a pawn in whatever game you're playing."

Silence. The expressions on the faces that stared back at her were no one the same. She didn't care enough to understand.

"Does it matter?" Jadeite finally said. He uncrossed his arms and pushed off the wall, crouching in front of her. Her body trembled with the effort it took not to back away. Here. Here was the malice she had been expecting, swimming alongside amusement and something dark in the ever blue eyes that pinned her. "I can end it for you, if you like. If you're tired, Jupiter. If you're afraid. I can be the man you want me to be and end the pain. I'll let the other Senshi know what became of you when we meet them."

She launched herself at him with a cry.

He caught her easily, dropping her onto the ground. She twisted upwards again to engage him, emotion fizzling along under her skin and propelling her forward to kick his goddamn ass. But the fist that slammed into his face stunned her, and suddenly Nephrite was between them, pulling her upright and apologizing profusely with what was, amazingly, tears in his eyes.

"Please," he begged earnestly. "Please give us a chance. We're honestly here to help. Please!"

She looked away from his anguished face, pulling out of his grip. She was wholly confused.

"Barring unnecessary dramatics," Zoisite said as he shot a dirty look at the man on the floor, "Jadeite is right. Whether you believe us or not doesn't matter, not at this point in time. What matters is whether you choose to get up and go with us. Sooner or later the youma are going to find us here. We need the protection the temple can offer."

"Trust and redemption are earned," Kunzite said. "Give us a chance to earn it."

Jadeite's face was calm, eyes serious as he watched her.

"Go to hell," she said.

"Been there," he replied, shrugging. "Now get the fuck up and let's go. You _have_ no other choice."

She tried to quell the fear that spiked as Nephrite helped her to her feet. The rest of the men moved to the other room and started gathering things together. Nephrite left her side momentarily to rummage through a duffel bag nearby. "I'm afraid we had to tear through your shirt to bind your wounds. I wonder if this fits though."

He sounded nervous, though his movements were anything but. She instinctively caught the bundle he tossed at her, struggling not to drop it. She stared at it in surprise. She would recognize this bunny shirt anywhere.

"Jupiter?" Nephrite touched her arm gently, his eyes worried. "Are you alright?"

"I'm—I'm fine. Please wait outside."

He nodded and left. She limped to the duffel. Clothes, toiletries, lingerie. She didn't recalled Usagi ever leaving anything here and this seemed more than an overnight bag. Did Nephrite know who the bag belonged to? Where was Usagi? She looked around the room again, searching for other signs, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She gnawed on her bottom lip uneasily.

She tossed the too small clothes back onto the duffle and rummaged through Mamoru's closet for a t-shirt and sweat pants, things he didn't wear very often, but she was glad he had. Makoto limped towards the door, but halfway there, the sudden shattering of glass behind her caused her to turn around. Her leg spun out instinctively and it connected with a loud crack. Pain radiated up her leg and she collapsed. The world spun momentarily, sharpening with a flare of red agony when something pierced her shoulder. The youma had her pinned. Over her scream, she dimly heard the splintering of wood, but her vision was engulfed entirely by the mass of teeth decidedly going for her head.

Just as abruptly the teeth disappeared and the youma slumped down on her, its foul blood gushing onto her face and choking her. Arms pulled her from beneath the corpse and she screamed again as her shoulder was ripped free. Nephrite, she thought faintly. His face was one of fury as he held her close to him. She bit back a whimper as his movement jarred her injuries both new and old. The garbage smells rolled her stomach.

"Fall back! Nephrite!" She heard someone yell harshly. She thought she heard a faint, "Go!" And suddenly they were running. Up, she thought faintly. Why up? She lifted her face from his chest just in time to see the open roof top. And suddenly they were on another, and another. They had powers, Makoto realized. Not all of Japan's buildings were so close together. Why did they have powers? And why did the Senshi not? She couldn't think on it, for every time he landed, the jolt sent echoes of pain throughout her body until Makoto finally gave into it and passed out.

* * *

Kunzite leaned heavily against the wall, years spent in spirit form not preparing his now corporeal body for this kind of endurance.

"We're clear." As clear as they could be in a world full of such creatures. They were, for the moment, on the roof of a very tall building. He watched his brothers collapse in various stages of exhaustion. Besides Jupiter, who'd taken a second beating in addition to her first, the only other wound was Nephrite. He watched as Zoisite tended to the girl, but without proper medical equipment or even her own enhanced Senshi healing capabilities, there was no stopping the bleeding. Her primary wound had been bad enough and they'd barely had enough thread to stitch that one closed. They didn't even have the first aid kit with them now; it had been left back at the apartment. The shoulder was pierced all the way through and it was probable that she would lose that arm to infection, or even die, if they didn't do something quickly.

"Zoisite, tend to Nephrite." The other man looked up in disbelief, and he could feel the others stare, but he left no room for argument. "Do it."

Zoisite's lips thinned in disapproval, but he went to Nephrite and proceeded to bind the gash on his shoulder. Nephrite pushed him away and glared at Kunzite. "What are you out of your mind? She's dying over there! I can survive with this!"

"_Now,_" he commanded, icily reminding him of the chain of command. Nephrite looked away, and Zoisite hastily finished wrapping his shoulder.

"We're going to split up. Nephrite, Jadeite, you're going to go ahead to the temple. Try _not_ to antagonize her, Jadeite. Zoisite and I are taking Jupiter to a hospital. She'll have a better chance of recovering there than at the temple."

Nephrite looked back up, his anger having faded. "I wish to—"

"I know. But you're injured and you have no medical knowledge whatsoever. We might be able to find a doctor, but if that's not the case, together Zoisite and I might yet save her. Don't do anything rash, you know what our priority is."

It was a long and tense silence before Nephrite conceded with an abrupt nod.

The way to the hospital was long and precarious and rife with youma. He exhaled silently when the big red cross came into view. Modern medical technology was something he knew neither of them were very familiar with, but they had to try. The doors swished open and the first of the smells hit his nose. Blood, among other things. The walls were stained with so much of it that it almost completely covered the pale green paint. It was enough to make him ill. Zoisite himself was already dry-heaving, one fist to his mouth in attempt to calm himself. He exhaled. Of course the hospitals would be heavily hit, the people here were ill and they wouldn't have been able to run away. He swallowed the bile that tried to rise in his throat.

"Are you sure we should stay here Kunzite?" Zoisite asked, his eyes watering. "The environment is..shall we say..less than sanitary. No longer suitable for recovery." He carefully stepped over a bloody bundle on the floor.

"We have no choice." He surveyed the gruesome remains of the emergency room, shifted the Senshi in his arms, and chose a direction. "We'll try the upper levels."

The stairs were relatively clear, but it wasn't until the fourth floor that the smell of death lessened to a bearable level. As they started down the hall in search of a room without windows, echoes of something made them pause.

They exchanged glances. Zoisite nodded and started off first, his saber appearing in his hand. He paused by the closed doors, leaning slightly in and listening briefly before he kicked it in. Screams sounded, yelling ensued and the clash of metal on metal could be heard briefly. But all he saw through the door were frightened and injured people. He entered and kicked the door shut behind him.

"Enough!" He glared at the people, and they subsided fearfully.

"Mercury, for the love of—! We're not here to kill you!"

Kunzite looked over in surprise and saw a familiar blue head brandishing a surgical blade against an unarmed Zoisite.

"Mercury." He spoke calmly, but he knew she recognized the voice. She whirled and backed away from them both, her eyes flashing in icy determination. It was edged out by fear as soon as she saw who he held in his arms.

"Let her go," she said coldly, "I don't know what you're trying to do and—"

"She needs your help," he interrupted, "she was attacked and she's bleeding to death. Don't waste time talking to me." He strode past the Senshi and placed her friend on the cot. As soon as he backed away she rushed over, her decision apparently made and her enemies forgotten in lieu of the impending death of a dear friend. He returned to stand near his brother and they kept out of the way as a pair of people in white uniforms rushed over to help her save the girl. The rest of the people remained by the wall, fearful of their strangeness.

Sometime later, an exhausted looking Mercury came to speak with them.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Her hands were wrung tightly in front of her, but her gaze was direct.

"Will she live?" He inquired. Jupiter lay just beyond the curtain, but Kunzite had no desire to see her in her current state. It only pushed him to think of the welfare of a certain blonde Senshi that had yet to be found.

"Yes. They had the right equipment this time. We even managed to stop the internal bleeding." The relief shone brightly in her eyes.

"We are not your enemies, Mercury," Zoisite said solemnly.

"Only time will tell, won't it?" She replied. She turned to look at the survivors huddled by the wall, her eyes sad. "The people here, however, are thankful of your protection, if you're willing to give it. I'm no longer a Senshi, I'm not even a real doctor. And because of us, they'll find us sooner or later. I'm surprised they haven't already."

He had forgotten. The light of a Senshi, the part retaining what people believed was the soul, was always brighter. Brightness attracted darkness. Negative to positive. He wondered briefly at the brightness of his own soul.

"That is the reason why we need to leave this place. Our destination is the temple where Mars currently resides. There is a barrier around that place that will keep you all safe."

"Rei's alive?" Her eyes lit up and hope crept back into them, pushing aside some of the defeat he'd seen shadowed there since they'd met.

"I'll stay here," Zoisite said grimly, "I can already see that some of these people can't be moved."

Kunzite nodded. "Get your people ready to go, Mercury."


	3. on a landmine

**on a landmine**

* * *

They were going to die.

It was only a matter of when. Her grandfather had only lasted a full five minutes against the onslaught of attacks before his heart gave out.

Her absolute refusal to black out as the incredible weight of the barrier had transferred to her had been the only thing to keep them alive. The pieces of _her_ had nearly scattered into oblivion and death.

She could see some of them now, probing the edges of her barrier; the sliminess of the feeling in her mind causing her skin to crawl. She could hear the fearful mutterings of the lucky few survivors behind her. How ironic that they should fear the "unnaturalness" of this place, of her, when it was the very thing keeping them alive for the moment. Ignorant savants.

A flash of yellow had her head turning sharply just as nausea hit her, warning her that the barrier was being crossed. Blonde hair? Hope fought to rise in her. She descended several steps, gazing intently at the surrounding area. The youma stared hungrily up at her.

"Rei."

She closed her eyes, for just a moment, before turning around. Minako stood at the top of the steps, looking worse for wear and extremely weary. Her blonde hair was tangled, dirty, and her face was streaked with dried blood. The Juuban High uniform she wore wasn't in much better shape. But her smile filled some of the gaping hole in Rei's heart.

She hopped up the steps and hugged her.

"Oh Mina, I was afraid I was the only one!" She whispered. The tears she'd refused to cry pushed to the surface as warm arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Me too," Minako said, her voice hoarse. "Me too."

The tide of grief slowly ebbed, and she exhaled.

"Are the others here?"

She released her friend and stepped back, drying her eyes. "Not yet."

Minako nodded, after a moment of hesitation. "Not yet."

"Are you okay?" Rei inquired, examining her friend critically. "You look like you've had it rough."

Minako's mouth quirked up in a wry smile. "Should've seen the other guys." She scoffed. "I woke up at the _arcade_ of all places. Can you believe it?"

Rei smiled. "I am actually. I would have figured you for the mall."

"At least it was close," her friend laughed.

They grew solemn again, both staring at some distant point in the city.

"Have you scryed?"

She felt the tears again. "Yes," she said simply. She didn't tell Minako how futile it had been, the chilling _nothing_ that left her feeling bereft.

"Come on," she finally said, pulling at her sister's arm, "Let's get you cleaned up."

The sun was low on the horizon by the time they returned to the steps. They didn't speak for a long time.

"How could I have let it come to this Rei?" Minako spoke suddenly, her voice low and hard. "I'm the leader of the Senshi. How could I—how could _we_ have failed to such an extent? We didn't train enough. We didn't do enough. I should have made us. I should have—." She cut off as suddenly as she began, lips pressed tightly together and eyes shimmering in the dying light.

"Mina-chan," she said quietly. "We all failed. The fault belongs to us all."

"How could we have betrayed her?" Minako whispered, her voice breaking.

There was no comfort that she could give her. It was only truth. She _had_ betrayed the one person she loved most in the world. It hadn't been their fault, but it had still been done. The bitter irony of it almost made her laugh out loud.

Minako stood, her expression fierce as she looked down at Rei. "We were brought back for a reason. She _must_ have brought us back. The others just aren't here yet. And we'll save the world! We'll save her!" The blonde Senshi burst into tears, and Rei blinked rapidly. She was right, of course. They would save the world. They would save Serenity.

Or they would die trying.

She didn't entertain the doubts that lingered in the back of her mind. Especially the single most vital question of all. Just how, _how _were they going to do _anything_ without their Senshi powers?

* * *

"Eat it," Minako ordered, when the priestess began fiddling with her food.

Her friend was starting to look…_wilted_. She hadn't looked so bad yesterday. But today she was paler than ever. Her face seemed almost waxen, and her eyes were droopy and shadowed. Her hair had even lost its violet luster. They'd only had scant few hours of sleep the both of them, no matter that they tried. Minako wasn't sure she looked better than her friend.

Rei snorted softly, but complied. She looked at her own food distastefully. It tasted wonderful of course. She loved ramen. It was the best invention in the world. But she had neither the stomach nor the state of mind to eat at the moment. She wanted action. She wanted resolution. She wanted all of this to end. She watched until Rei's bowl was empty, swirled the noodles in her own bowl, and then she broke the news.

"I'm going out today."

Rei's head shot up quickly and her answer was simple. "No."

"It's necessary," Minako argued. "Makoto could probably handle herself, but she's only marginally better than me and look how I turned out. Ami isn't even trained to fight like that. Hers is a purely defensive style. The Outers, I'm not going to worry about at the moment because they're better than all of us. Usagi, she can't fight properly defensively or offensively. They need all the help they can get."

They stared at one another over the table.

"I can't argue," Rei finally said tightly, "but not today. Give them one more day. Give yourself one more day to recover. If you go out and get yourself killed then you won't be helping anyone."

"I can handle myself," she defended, and she _could_, mostly.

"One more day, or I fight you right now and put you down," Rei threatened, standing.

She stood slowly, her glare level with that of the miko. She wasn't sure she _could_ take her right now, even with Rei as she was. Her body had been through a lot, she knew. Youma were simple creatures, despite their physical advantages.

"One more day," she conceded finally. She had to have faith in the girls. They weren't completely helpless. Hopefully.

Rei turned sharply, twisting to run for the door. "Something's coming."

She nearly ran into her, as the miko jerked to a stop just outside. Her heart thundered in the silence that stretched.

They were going to die.

She would never forget that unfairly gorgeous hair that belonged to the evil sons of bitches that had tried to kill them more than once. Nor would she forget those iridescent eyes that stared at them now, usually etched with hatred and contempt and unusually blank now. They had no powers and the Generals were here. She couldn't even hope to hold them long enough for the people to run.

"Peace," Nephrite said, holding his hands up. "We come in peace, Senshi." There was apprehension and regret on his face, expressions far too human and all too strange to belong there.

"You mean to tell us," she replied coldly, "That none of this is your doing?"

"Only because we failed in protecting the Earth, Lady Venus," he said solemnly.

"Let's skip through the pleasantries, shall we?" Jadeite said. His smile was hard. "We know you have no powers, Senshi. Otherwise the world would not be as it is. We could kill you quite effortlessly if we wanted to, but we won't. So why don't you stop pretending you have a choice and just listen to what we have to say?"

The silence stretched between them again. Nephrite glared at Jadeite.

"Either kill us, or get out," Rei said. "Your presence here is not tolerated and you have nothing to say that we wish to hear."

"Well then," Jadeite said. His head inclined slightly, mockingly; his eyes still on them. "We'll be on our way. I'll let Jupiter know you're doing well." He turned.

"Wait!" She cried. Her jaw clenched as he turned back, the plastic smile still on his face. "Let's talk."

* * *

Endymion's bodyguards.

It was funny, in a not really funny way. She wanted to laugh at the thought of Mamoru having—well, his alter ego did throw roses as a form of defense. She supposed he _might_ have needed protection as Prince of Earth and all. What did it matter now, anyhow, what they once were? Did they think it would help her trust them? It only showed how capable they were of betrayal. With a twinge, she remembered that it was something the Senshi were capable of also. _Weak and corruptible_, she thought with disdain. _Human_, another voice whispered.

"What now?" Rei asked, softly.

"We wait for the others to get back here, with Jupiter," Jadeite answered. His head was turned away from them, his expression disinterested. He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed before him; his body only half in the room.

"Agreed," she said, "but it might not be possible."

"That's right," the miko said. "The pressure grows within my mind. There are more and more youma out there, dying to get in. It's only a matter of time before they attack this place. I don't think I would be able to hold them."

Minako took a look at her complexion, and she was inclined to believe her. She hadn't improved any with the day, and if it was at all possible she'd grown paler.

"Easily resolved," Jadeite said. "Any one of us could lend you power and share the burden you carry, if only you trusted us, Mars." He finally looked at her, eyes sliding back outside just as quickly. She glared at the back of his head. It was almost offensive. Nephrite, seated across the table from them, smiled apologetically for his brother.

"How is it that you know it will work?" Rei asked.

"We Shitennou are of this Earth, lady. We know most of its secrets. We've had to deal with some of this before."

Rei stayed silent, and then she glanced at Minako. Neither of them voiced the concerns on deceit and betrayal.

"No choice," she said simply.

Minako only nodded tightly.

* * *

"Are you ready?"

Rei ignored him, as much as she could without actually letting him out of her awareness. She believed them, minutely. Her senses had been fooled before. There were those powerful enough to mask their evil natures. She continued her pre-meditation preparations, settling herself comfortably on the cushions and attempting to ease the anxiety she felt putting her life in this man's hands.

Jadeite smiled at her in such a way that irritated her, as though he knew something she didn't. The way those eyes, ever shifting between blue and grey, unwaveringly stayed on her, unnerved even her. It caused something unsettling inside, disturbing the absolute loathing she felt for this man and his brothers. She much preferred his earlier, colder smile.

"This is going to be a little hard, but I gather you're used to clearing your mind. Even still, thoughts might still leak through." The smile disappeared. "I know you have things you'd rather I not know and I likewise have the same. But in order for this to work we will be linked the entire time. So no matter _what_ leaks through, no matter what unwanted thoughts or feelings are felt, _do not block the connection. _It would only take the power beneath this temple seconds to adjust to the shift, but in that time, the one still linked will be drained critically, if not die. Do you still want to do this?"

She only nodded at him. And he smiled that secret, faint smile again. "Okay. You don't have to do anything, but when your mind starts to feel odd, don't push me out."

She closed her eyes.

Inhale. Exhale. The thoughts faded out of her mind like smoke in the wind. Slowly, the world disappeared in an even tide of inhale and exhale. She began to feel more peace than she ha—a jarring ripple. Little lances of pain as she fought to regain her rhythm. But then she remembered him, and remembered what they were here to do and with much difficulty she forced herself to relax. The pain lessened immediately and he matched her pulse.

A feeling of warmth sliding beneath her skull caused her to shiver involuntarily. It was soft, and it meant her no harm, but all in the same she knew it was powerful enough to crush her. In the same instant, she was suddenly aware of another presence at the back of her mind. It was strange, this double consciousness, even if the other was subdued.

_It's done, milady, _came the softest of whispers in her mind.

Her eyes opened, and she was surprised to find herself soaked in sweat. She looked across at him and found him almost in the same state.

"It's so strong," he said a little weakly. "No wonder the shields hold so well against attack, the nexus drains so much from the host."

"Yes," she replied, "and it's also unstable for some reason." She found herself suddenly too tired to say anything, even though the burden on her was noticeably less. She inclined her head. "Thank you."

A flash of sorrow, coupled with a strange fiery sensation, abruptly burned at the back of her mind, in the part that was _him._ Her eyebrows rose in confusion. It was gone just as suddenly and he was on his feet, offering her his hand. She stared at his face for a moment, and then at his hand. Slowly, she rose on her own. When she was on her feet he bowed slightly to her, still smiling that smile, and went off on his own.

She stared after him. Just what had that been? She shook her head. It mattered not. Not really. What he felt and thought was his business. And although she didn't have anything to hide, she didn't relish the thought of her thoughts being known to anyone. She went to wash up.

It happened numerous times in the next several hours, every time she ran into him. They did not speak, and all he did was smile at her, but at the back of her mind there was an inexplicable feeling of sorrow and…something else. Just what was it that he thought about her to elicit such emotion? None were as strong as the first outburst. They were actually very subdued and faint, as though he repressed them but couldn't help feeling them. They were present, nonetheless. She tried to avoid him.

Late afternoon found her sitting outside with Minako. Nephrite stood not too far away, leaning against a tree. They each stared off in their own directions out into the city. None of the other Senshi had shown up yet, and the other Shitennou had not returned with Makoto.

"I spoke with the people," Minako said into the silence. She sat primly, her legs crossed and tucked to one side. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and her back straight; the very image of composed.

She moved her head slightly to indicate that she heard.

"Do you know what the date is? It's been a year, Rei. A year since we fought that battle. A year since we died."

She stared at her friend. A year? They had been dead for that long?

"And the Sailor Senshi, Rei. People only remember seeing one. She surfaced two weeks ago when the attacks began."

Usagi? It had to be. Her heart suddenly constricted painfully. Her hands she held in her lap, fingers clasped tightly together; as though she could hold her composure as long as she didn't let go.

"And then, three days ago there was a white light. The world just went completely white. When it disappeared, the world was overrun."

She felt the tears well and drip down her face, but she couldn't move to wipe them away. Couldn't react. "So," she said slowly, "she had to live alone, without us. Fight alone, without us. And she—"

"She failed," Minako finished softly, when Rei couldn't say it.

"_We_ failed," she corrected angrily.

"Yes," Minako said simply. "Immediately after the youma came a gold light—like sunlight. It was followed by devastation. Earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal waves. It all happened within seconds. Most of downtown Tokyo is destroyed. The earth was—"

"Reacting."

They turned to look at Nephrite, but he did not look at them. His face was one of pain. "Only the Golden Crystal can cause such a reaction from the Earth," he said quietly, "and that means it shattered. And the bearer…"

It explained the instability of the power beneath the temple. The Hikawa Shrine was purposefully built over a place where natural energy lines converged, and some of those lines had to have been broken. _We're sitting on a landmine_, she thought bleakly. Nephrite did not speak anymore, but turned and walked abruptly inside, presumably to talk to Jadeite. They turned back around. She had done it again, her final strike. The crystal would have shattered…and the Golden Crystal. It also meant Mamoru… her jaw clenched painfully. _No, _she thought vehemently. She refused to think of that conclusion. Mamoru was alive. Usagi was alive.

They had to be.


	4. interlude i: darkest shadows

**interlude I: darkest shadows**

* * *

It was a place of ruin. Where hallways of marble and archways of gold once stood gleaming erect, only dull gray stone remained.

They resided in the very center of it all, rigid upon two great thrones as though they were part of the stone walls that surrounded them. What little light in the room glinted off the jewels on their fingers, the intricate gold embroidery on their luxuriant robes, and the stones in their foreheads. They seemed to notice little, their bright eyes fixated on the man groveling on his knees before them.

"Tell us again, mortal, why we should spare you." A small smile belied the vicious intent in the man's voice.

"Why we shouldn't allow our servants to rip you to shreds." The woman was almost purring as she drank in the man's fear.

"I-I-p-please—please don't kill me! Please!" The man could only whimper, his fear so terrible that coherent thought was beyond his reach. He hardly dared look at them, hands clasped trembling in front of him as his face remained glued to the floor.

The woman sighed; the amusement in her eyes vanished. She gestured, and the man burst into flames. His screams echoed in the empty hall.

"I despise when they beg. We should not have killed the last one. His answers were interesting."

The man sneered. "His reasons were insufficient and unworthy."

"But still, he thought them at an impressive rate."

They watched until the flame dwindled into nothing, leaving no sign that anyone had been there.

"Well my love, shall we go hunting again?"

This time, the woman did purr. "Yesss."

They disappeared.

Silence descended in the dusty hall, and then, a brief rustle. A man emerged from the darkness, just beside the dais the thrones rested upon. He paused momentarily, staring at the spot where many humans had already perished. Nay a one had ever given a satisfactory answer. He doubted any ever would. He continued on.

His footsteps echoed through the dark halls. On its fringes, in the very darkest shadows, the youma lurked restlessly. Their murmurs and hisses did not seem to concern him. Nor did it seem that he had a destination in mind, for he often paused, his eyes searching, roaming, before he would apparently choose a path at random.

At last he stood before a set of doors. His hand rose. He brushed the ancient oak lightly, his fingers tracing the intricate and now faded inlays. It was no different from any other door he had passed, if a little more intact; yet it seemed his destination. His hand dropped to the rusted handle. He pushed the doors open, and frowned. He pushed with more force, exerting his will upon the door. It did not move. A silent snarl appeared on his lips.

He lifted his hand, letting it hover close to the wood. Darkness darker than the darkest shadows gathered in his hand, compacting into a ball. He released his power and it impacted the wood. The handles melted, the granite walls on either side curved slightly inwards, but nary a thing shattered. His face clouded in raged, and what light around him began to visibly bend.

Then, just as suddenly he staggered, his hands gripping his chest as though in agony. What power about him dissipated. After a moment, he stood, breathing heavily. He stalked away without looking at the door again.


	5. mayhem

**mayhem**

* * *

It was hard to balance, and the insistent elbow in her side was starting to damage her calm. Ami was usually very calm. Even if the past two days had been a hellish nightmare, she'd managed to stay calm.

But the elbow in her side was starting to irritate her. She glanced sideways and glared at the offender, but kept her lips closed. They were already all stressed; the tension filled silence was evidence enough if nothing else was. The journey was unpleasant enough. They were all crammed in like sardines—rolling down the precipitous face of a cliff that had no bottom. Anger would not serve her here.

Ami exhaled softly, her eyes straying back to Makoto's face. _Live_, she thought fiercely. She didn't know if she could handle the stress of losing someone so close to her, not right now, not right in front of her and she so helpless to do anything.

Abruptly, the ambulance lurched to one side and an unprepared Ami was thrown against the opposite wall. Her head connected solidly with the unforgiving walls. As pain filled her consciousness, the world suddenly tilted and screams filled the air.

* * *

Utter mayhem.

There were people screaming, and she could feel them crawling over her to the doors. She opened her eyes. The world was…wrong. There was blood everywhere. She groaned, shaking her head slightly so that her thoughts could settle. It didn't take her long to figure out that the ambulance had tipped over. The blood bags had burst. She sat up slowly as the last person scrambled out of the vehicle. She felt the bump on her forehead, pressing gently and wincing as the pain reverberated through her head.

"Oh no!" She cried in dismay. The sight of the upside down gurney galvanized her into action.

"Mako-chan!" She yelled, desperately trying to lift the gurney, but it was heavy and the bloody rails slipped right through her fingers. She peered beneath it and saw Makoto's head resting on the floor, her body still strapped tightly to it. She reached in with one arm, feeling for a pulse. She nearly cried when she felt it, steady and strong.

"Hang on Mako-chan!"

She extracted herself and crawled out of the ambulance.

"Help—!" The words died in her mouth. Aside from Kunzite, who was busy fighting off the youma, the rest of the people who'd been with her had either run off or been torn to bits. Fear wormed into her soul; for herself, and for the Senshi behind her. For as soon as she'd stood, the youma had noticed her and they'd abandoned their battle to come for her.

She turned quickly and slammed the doors shut, hoping at least to delay them from finding Makoto. But she was open game and there was nowhere to run. Suddenly Kunzite was between her and the youma.

"Kunzite! We need to get Jupiter! I can't lift the gurney!"

She wasn't sure if he heard her as he fought to keep them back. But for one he took down, another came slithering from the dusky shadows to take its place. So long as they continued to make noise the youma would come. So long as she remained the youma would come. She bit her lip, her eyes scanning her surroundings, her heart beating in her ears. A shadow cast over her, atop the overturned vehicle and she turned, too late, to defend herself. Instinct took over. As she fell backwards her feet flew up to brace against the monster, and ignoring the pain upon impact she pushed with all her might and flipped it forward.

She scrambled to her feet immediately, wincing at the ache in her ankles. Before she could do more than wildly scan her nearby surroundings, Kunzite grabbed her hand and started to run.

"Stop!" She cried, resisting him, but Ami was just a girl. A normal, powerless girl. Kunzite pulled her along easily. "What are you doing?! Mako-chan is back there!" He never faltered. She could only cry, her gaze fixed backwards while her feet ran away. The mass of youma chasing them blocked her vision of the ambulance and the uncertain fate of her friend. Although she strained, they drew further and further away until she finally wrenched around, a strangled cry erupting from her throat as she ran for her life.

When she faltered, Kunzite lifted her into his arms and leapt into the air. The world blurred past after that. Once they stopped, she glanced about her with detachment until she noticed the familiarity of the grounds. The gears in her mind began to turn again.

The shrine. They had arrived at Hikawa Shrine. And the sun was gone.

Kunzite placed her on her feet, but Ami had no strength left to stand. She fell to her knees, trembling from exhaustion, grief and too many emotions to name. Commotion drew her gaze forward and she recognized her friends running towards her. The sight of them brought Makoto's face to mind. She stood abruptly and turned on Kunzite.

"_You,_" she spat, trembling. But that was the extent of her words. Her anger, her grief, her pain; it was all pushed aside by the cold logic inside her that said that his course of action had been the best course of action. He could not have held them all off and she could not have lifted the gurney.

Kunzite's face showed no emotion. When the others reached them, he broke eye contact with her and turned to his friends.

"Jadeite, Nephrite, let's go. We're going back for Jupiter."

Just like that they were gone. She collapsed to the ground in tears again. Warm arms enveloped her and she sobbed her grief at the nightmare they lived in.

"What happened Ami?" Minako asked, her voice gentle. She rubbed Ami's shoulder soothingly.

It took some time for her to form words. "We were being transported here. The ambulance overturned and the youma came. There were too many. The people with us died. Makoto's trapped in the ambulance. Kunzite made me leave her."

The girls exchanged unreadable looks.

"I'm glad to see you guys," she whispered, hugging both of them in turn.

"As we are you," Rei said solemnly.

"Makoto will be alright," Minako said. "She's strong. You know that."

She smiled tremulously. It was all she could do, she was afraid to say anything else.

* * *

Fear. It was an all consuming thing. Nephrite struggled to function properly with this fear that he carried in his heart. He had almost been too late to save her once. And now, as he raced to save her yet again, he couldn't help but fear that this time, it really would be too late.

They slowed their pace when they neared the crash site until Kunzite signaled a halt. He watched as his leader disappeared into the dim darkness and turned his senses back to his immediate area. It was deceptively quiet, making him edgy. He glanced up at the sky, but the stars were hiding behind dark clouds, their whispers quiet. It wasn't long before Kunzite reappeared again, and they followed him forward. He crouched at a point and turned to them. They joined him near the floor.

"The vehicle is just ahead," he said quietly. "I don't feel anything, but it's too quiet. Nephrite, go right, and Jadeite take left. Keep your guard up. Keep hidden."

They both nodded and Nephrite turned, leaving his companions behind and sprinting through the trees. He paused every now and then, listening intently to his surroundings. When he reached the tree line he stopped and backed up against a tree, hunkering down on one knee. Dimly he could see Kunzite's white hair flashing several yards ahead of him.

The sound of creaking metal filled the air followed by a quiet yell and a crash of more metal. Low voices faintly reached his ears. Nephrite tensed, fixing his eyes on Kunzite's perceived location. But all fell silent again.

Minutes passed. How long, he didn't know. A rustle, somewhere nearby. He tensed again, gripping his blade, searching the darkness.

"Nephrite!" The whisper made him jump, despite the familiar voice. Kunzite materialized out of nowhere, Jupiter resting in his arms. He rose. "Let's go!"

He followed his leader as they ran back the way they came. "Jadeite?" He asked quietly.

"I sent him to Zoisite. We must hurry. The youma will have no doubt sensed her by now."

He nodded and fell silent, thanking the stars that they had reached her in time. Now all they had to do was make it back in one piece.

It was a long road home. Jupiter stood between them, strangely still, her eyes alert and following the battles. Together they cut a path of destruction around her, pushing forward one youma corpse at a time.

Finally, the temple appeared just ahead and he exhaled in relief. He cut down the few remaining in their path without flourish and pushed her ahead of him. The other Senshi pulled her into a mass of tears and joy.

He let his blade dissolve back into the earth, sitting himself down on the steps to try and catch his breath. A small hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up. The Senshi of Mars stood over him, her eyes dark with gratitude.

"Come on inside. We've got to get the girls cleaned up, and there are refreshments for you."

Slowly they made their way up the steps of the temple. Kunzite and Nephrite traveled behind the Senshi as they supported their injured friend up the steps. He knew it would be faster if either one of them carried her, but judging from their faces, he sensed that their reaction would not be a welcome one if he offered.

And anyway, it was a chance for him to watch her, memorize every detail of her, for it had been so long since he'd last seen her. Beyond centuries, beyond millennia. So long since he'd seen her and loved her with every fiber of his being. Even as bloody and ill as she looked now he still thought she was the most beautiful creature and he knew it wouldn't be long before she was back to her old self. She was just that strong. _But_, he thought sorrowfully,_ she'll never be mine ever again._

Nephrite glanced up at the sky again, but the stars were still obscured behind the clouds. A frown creased his forehead momentarily as he contemplated this consistency and what it meant for the future to be so obscure. But he dismissed it. He would wait for tomorrow's forecast before drawing conclusions. His gaze dropped in time to see the Senshi disappearing into the temple. His steps slowed to a halt as he watched them go.

"Did you ever think, Kunzite, that it we would ever come to this moment?" He pondered quietly aloud. He seated himself on the cold concrete, allowing his limbs more rest.

Kunzite's lips thinned and his eyes were grave. He faced the city, his arms crossed and his stance stiff.

"It matters not what we think now. There are obligations we must fulfill before our time ends here."

Nephrite looked at his friend, startled.

"Merely a feeling." Kunzite said in reply. "That there is a price we must yet pay for our past actions."

"Surely you're just paranoid," he protested. But he was troubled by Kunzite's words. There never had been any satisfactory answer to why they'd been brought back. Because it was a coincidence just didn't settle with any of them. And if they were brought back to set things right, would they be able to stay or would they go back to being stones for all eternity? Perhaps rot in some unspecified hell? _Kunzite might be right. And if so, we must do what we can to set things right before we're...sent away again._

"I know not. But you're the stargazer, Nephrite. You read the future. You tell me."

Nephrite did not look up at the sky.


	6. no mere human

**no mere human**

* * *

Zoisite wept.

He hadn't known it then, but it was probably the moment the Senshi went out the door that they were doomed. Maybe it was even before that, when they'd brought Jupiter. He hadn't known that the youma would come prowling the hospital, but he should have. It was too late to account for now. He had barely made it out, and now he had a more than a few souls added onto his ledger. His debt would never be repaid.

He sat against the rooftop edge, one elbow propped on a bent knee and his hand buried in his hair. It fell in limp strands around his face, long escaped from the elastic band holding it. His other arm rested by his side, bloodied sword resting lightly in his hand. He was tired, beyond tired, in mind and body. His mind circled obsessively, fighting off despair by grasping onto purpose. His liege, his love, his soul. He could feel the crystal even now, reminding him insistently with its pulsation the enigma it represented. He had yet to come up with a good explanation, and the one he had...he didn't want to think about.

He swallowed, wiping away the traces of tears on his face. His inadequacy was costing him, all of them.

"Well well well, what do we have here?"

In an instant, Zoisite was on his feet, blade at ready. All thought and emotion receded into the back of his mind, leaving calm in its wake. He eyed the strangers in front of him. One man and one woman, dressed in clothes that definitely did not belong on Earth. Veritable opposites at first glance. The man had long white hair and the woman had even longer black tresses. Their regal stature did nothing to belay the cruel calculation he saw in twin sets of icy blue eyes, nor did he miss the way the air rippled slightly where they stood. In all probability he would not be able to take them and leave unscathed, not as exhausted as he was anyway.

"My, my, aren't you a pretty thing?" The woman cooed at him. Her voice bothered him; his memory wanting to place it at a lower, warmer octave.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Out of his peripheral he gauged the distance of the next building over and concluded that it was too far. At least, he thought it might be too far. The dim light coming from the parking lot didn't help much, but it was a pretty good conclusion seeing as the building was across the street and several yards down. He would have to jump to the ground and face the youma, which might or might not hinder his flight.

"We came to hunt," the man said, "but instead we find something so much more intriguing. You are no mere human. Your aura interests us. Small wonder we've had an increase in our casualties these past few days. "

Then again, it might be useless to run, if the man could track his aura.

The woman laughed, her sharp teeth gleaming. "And all this time we thought the humans had finally risen out of their miserly limitations. Now we know better."

His gaze fastened onto their faces.

"You're the ones, aren't you? You're the ones behind this evil."

"Evil?" The man laughed. "You misunderstand boy. We are not evil. The human race is evil in itself. We are saving them from themselves."

"How very cliché," Zoisite observed, boredom reflecting in his voice.

"Enough about that," the woman interrupted. She walked closer to him, reaching out a hand to caress his face. "Come with us, sweetling," she enticed, her voice soft. "We can show you a great many things. Your talents are wasted here."

Zoisite stood, rigid, as her fingers trailed down his torso, pressing her body against his. He struggled not to shudder in disgust. His eyes skipped to the man, but the man only crossed his arms and leaned against an invisible wall, a smirk on his face.

"What exactly," he asked, ignoring the razor sharp claws now running gently down the side of his face, "is it that you're offering?"

"Myself for one. I have yet to taste one so pretty as you." The woman kissed him on the lips. But when his gaze remained forward her face twisted in annoyance. She detached herself from him and glided back to her companion.

"Power," the man said.

"This world," the woman finished tightly, "once we're done with it. There is always need for a ruler."

"And if there is nothing left once you're done with it?"

The woman bared her teeth. "Then it is not worthy for the likes of us."

"And yet you have been unable to destroy it, nor its inhabitants."

The man snarled. "A mere setback. That blasted woman and her cry—"

"Silence!" The woman snapped, turning on the man.

Zoisite was intrigued. He sneered. "You were beaten by a mere woman and her little crystal? What use then do I have to join such weaklings as you? My chances are better here on Earth."

Their eyes were keen on him. He held his breath, silently urging them to continue.

"If you so wish to stay, then you will join her in her fate, and of those who dare defy us." The woman finally said, a gleam appearing in her eyes.

He felt cold. It couldn't possibly be true, and yet the evidence lay before him in the shape of the entire world.

The moment they moved, he reacted. He leapt back and over the edge, dropping to the ground almost seven stories below. He began running when he landed, his sword out and running through any youma in his way. But suddenly they were there, in front of him. He slid to a halt and dodged sideways as a black orb of fire slammed into where he'd been. He rolled to the balls of his feet, his blade extended. He crouched low, breathing hard as his muscles complained from so much exertion so soon after the last battle. His eyes darted everywhere, searching. His body shifted to cover all the angles.

Monsters emerged from the trees and ran for him, but they were still more than halfway across the parking lot. He briefly debated running back into the hospital, gauging the promise of brighter lighting to his overall chances of winning. And then the hairs on the back of his neck rose and he turned, _too slow!_ he thought and bit back a scream as extended claws impaled his shoulder. He lurched backwards, ripping himself free and staggered to stay upright, eyes fixed on his enemy. They made no more moves towards him. Instead the youma around him burst into black fire and dropped in ashes to the ground.

"Why do you not wield your powers?" The man demanded. "I have sensed it, and yet you do not use them! Do you think us so weak?!"

Zoisite smiled coldly. "I do."

The man laughed. "Then you will die!"

"So be it," he said quietly, taking a deep breath. There was really no way to get out of this. His body was too tired, too late to effectively use his powers. He could not make it to the temple. He wasn't even sure if the other Shitennou had made it there yet. And no matter where he hid, they would find him now. They were just too close. No, he would die here without ever letting them have the advantage of knowing their opponent.

He lunged forward, pushing himself to the last of his strengths. Her face flashed across his mind, smiling gently at him briefly before dissipating. He swung horizontally, his blade a blur of shining light in the air. In a flash, even before he'd completed his strike, his body had already moved vertically over them, spinning to repeat the strike from behind. But they were both gone. He spun immediately to seek them and was greeted by another blast of black fire. Zoisite flew back and hit the ground, tumbling several feet before he finally came to a halt. He attempted to sit up, ignoring the complaints of his battered body. He spat out blood and opened his eyes to see the man and woman standing over him. The woman's claws extended again, impaling him. As she lifted, he couldn't help it, he screamed. Dazed, his hands rose and gripped at the claws to try and alleviate the torture, but his strength had deserted him. He was utterly spent.

The woman murmured. "What a pity."

"Yes," the man agreed, and he raised a hand. Darkness gathered in his hand. Zoisite's eyes closed.

And then the woman screamed. Her claws retracted and he dropped limply to the ground, the impact lancing through him like daggers. He opened his eyes wearily to see the woman clutching her breast, blood streaming from between her fingers. She stumbled into the man, revealing the person behind. _Jadeite!_ His brother's face was remote, but he saw the steel ire churning in those eyes as he attacked the couple. Jadeite managed to stab the man in the arm, but then the couple disappeared, the man's scream echoing in the air.

Jadeite then rushed to him. "Fuck," Jadeite swore softly as he came close enough to see Zoisite's injuries. He smiled faintly. He didn't feel a lot of pain anyway, he opened his mouth to tell Jadeite that, but he could only cough wetly, blood bubbling forth from the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes.

"Don't you dare die, Zoisite. That's an order! Don't you dare die!" He heard Jadeite threaten as he felt his body being lifted.

_I won't, _he wanted to say aloud, just to reassure him, but it was too much effort. He was so tired.

_I…_

* * *

The sun was finally rising, and Jadeite was grateful. It meant less youma in the streets. He was almost to the temple and he didn't want to stop anymore and fight. He didn't think Zoisite had that much time. When his feet finally landed on stone steps he didn't even stop as the wave of disorientation hit him, he ran up and right into the temple.

"Kunzite! Mercury!" The call was unnecessary. He knew Mars had already sensed the passing. He heard them coming up the hallway. He allowed Zoisite to slide off his back and left him leaning against the wall while he grabbed a blanket nearby. The youngest Shitennou had not woken up the entire journey home, and although Jadeite had bound his injuries as best he could, they'd bled sluggishly till even now. He was afraid for his friend. He shifted Zoisite gently down onto the blanket.

"What happened?" Kunzite asked as he and Mercury rushed to the unconscious Zoisite. Jadeite backed away, his limbs shaking exertion. He sat down hard, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes.

"I don't know who they were," he finally said after his heart rate calmed down a bit. He opened his eyes, a little surprised to see Mercury coming back in with a box in her hands. When had she left? "But they're obviously the enemy. A man and a woman." He noted the Senshi looking askance at each other. Fair Venus shook her head and the rest of the Senshi seemed to accept it. "It wasn't Senshi," he said, but they only looked at him. He was glad to see that Jupiter and Mercury were starting to look better now that they weren't covered in blood. His gaze switched to Zoisite.

"How is he?" The two had stripped him of his shirt and were cleaning the various wounds. He was frighteningly pale.

"It's…," Mercury began uncertainly, "we need to close these wounds. They're too deep for stitching. We don't have any equipment here…." She looked at Kunzite. He stared steadily back at her. Jadeite was uneasy.

"Agreed," was all he said, and Mercury exhaled shakily. "Alright, you guys need to leave the room. It's going to be unpleasant. Rei? Can you get me a knife and a candle or a lighter?" The Senshi looked stricken, and he could feel horror from her in the back of his mind. But she said nothing. The Senshi rose as one and Venus put her hand briefly on Mercury's shoulder before they left.

Mars returned shortly with the required items and exited without a word. He could feel disturbance from her, and a little nausea. He exhaled. Once upon a time, he would have gone to her. Comforted her, held her. No more.

Mercury ripped open small packets from the box and wiped the knife down. She held it over the flame. "Normally, this could be accomplished in more sanitary ways, but we don't have time to get the equipment, and we don't even have electricity. Mako-chan was only lucky the hospital had backup generators. It's still so very crude." She seemed to speak only for distraction, and the more she spoke, the less her hand trembled. At last she held it over Zoisite's body. When she hesitated, Kunzite took her hand and pressed down on the wound. She winced. The sizzle and smell of burning flesh filled the air. Kunzite let go and she continued. One by one she closed all of his injuries, front and back. Zoisite never moved at all.

When she was done she dropped the knife and Kunzite took over bandaging. "Let's hope it works," she said softly. "If infection sets in we won't be able to save him."

"You forget, Mercury," Kunzite said. "He is no mere human. He is a Shitennou. He'll get through this."

Yes. Jadeite agreed silently.

The Senshi were talking quietly outside when they emerged. Mars pushed a tray towards him. He accepted it with a silent nod.

"When he regains consciousness, we'll discuss our next course of action," Kunzite said.

"Agreed," Venus said evenly. "I suggest we all get some rest until then."

The Senshi returned to the temple.

"I'll see you later too," Nephrite said quietly, and followed the Senshi in.

He remained where he was, devouring the noodles with relish. It had been a long _long_ time since he'd eaten anything. Three days since he'd been Awake and centuries since he'd been really alive. Being evil did not count. He glanced up at Kunzite. The older Shitennou was gazing at the rising sun.

"Something on your mind, Kunzite?"

Kunzite smiled slightly. "Everything." But he did not elaborate, instead he asked, "how are you feeling?"

Jadeite gave a short laugh. "It was a long run." His limbs were still shaky. "I miss being able to use powers. I'll never take teleporting for granted again."

Silence.

"Nephrite told me."

Jadeite's chopsticks stopped midway to his mouth. "I don't believe it," he said flatly. "If they're gone then what the hell are we doing here?"

"Perhaps," was all Kunzite said. Jadeite glanced at his face again. The man's gaze was distant, his face impassive. But Jadeite saw the tiny crease in his brow that told him all he needed to know.

"It will be okay, Kunzite."

Kunzite sighed abruptly and turned. "Get some rest Jadeite." He strode inside.

Jadeite turned around. He smiled. Time could not change that man. _Kunzite-kun, you never would admit it would you?_ Except maybe to Venus. Except to Endymion. His smile faded. He looked at the sky. _Endymion, just where the hell are you?_


	7. interlude ii: without her

**interlude II: without her**

* * *

Where. Haruka couldn't stand it. Where was she? There was no sign of her anywhere. She knew she had more important things to worry about, like the princess and maybe the rest of the world. But she couldn't help it. She couldn't find her anywhere and she was beginning to be afraid. She was never afraid. But she couldn't live without her. There was no meaning without her.

People thought she was strong, but Michiru was the strong one. She was nothing without her. And right now she couldn't find her.

The world was in shambles. They'd lost, been defeated. The Sacrifice they'd made had been for nothing. The pain on Serenity's face when she'd watched them die was for nothing. And now Michiru was lost.

"Michiru. Michiru where are you?" She muttered aloud for the thousandth time. She'd looked everywhere she could think of. Home. School. All the places they'd loved to go to. All the places _she'd_ loved to go to. But no sign. Absolutely no sign at all. It hadn't even been easy. It had been several times too close for even her comfort. The youma seemed to find her everywhere she went, everywhere she hid. Like they knew her, knew she was nothing now. But she was doing what she did best. She was running. Running away, and running to. Where? Where was Michiru?

She knew she shouldn't worry so much. Michiru was always very good at taking care of herself. She was the smarter one of the both of them. But Haruka was the better fighter, and she could only assume that Michiru wouldn't have her powers either. Who else would be there to protect her? She had to find her.

Worst of all, she couldn't feel her at all. There had always been something there, inside of her, the part of her that was _Michiru_. But right now that place was empty and she didn't know what it meant. She was afraid of what it meant. What if she was alone in this world? Punishment for her failure?

So she ran. She had to find her.

Days and days. How many days? Everyday seemed endless. Every night stretched into forever. She had glimpsed the other Senshi at the shrine. But they seemed relatively safe. Safe where Michiru wasn't. She had to find her. She would find her.

But Michiru didn't seem to be in the city, not at the places she'd looked. And so there was only one place left, outside the city and quite a distance away. A place they had gone once upon a time, together, after they'd defeated Pharaoh 90. She had to get there. One way or another, she was going to get there.

And so she left the city, left the Senshi, left her princess. She had to find Michiru.


	8. odds of survival

**odds of survival**

* * *

"And then Jadeite came," Zoisite finished. The room remained silent, its occupants digesting what they'd just heard from his encounter with the enemy. At the mention of a woman and her crystal, Makoto's heart had become heavy. Just what had happened to Usagi? She couldn't believe that her princess had been defeated or even worse—died. She sighed quietly and lifted her eyes from the floor.

She once again wondered at the irony of this scene, Senshi and Shitennou in a room together. She still remembered all too vividly their past battles, however long ago that was. Zoisite was propped against the wall beside her. He was still very pale and he was free of pain, but only just. Any strenuous movement and he would collapse in a writhing pile of agony. But Ami was ready beside him with a dose of painkillers. The rest were situated loosely around the room, but it was generally Shitennou on one side and Senshi on the other. They were all of them finally clean and free of the blood that had seemed to plague them in the past few days.

While Zoisite had been unconscious his fellow Shitennou had gone out to find extra clothes and get supplies. The shrine had been running desperately low on supplies. But now he was awake, almost two days since Jadeite had brought him home, and they were overdue for this discussion.

"Well anyway, first of all," Minako said. "My name is Minako, not Venus." She pointed to each of the Senshi in turn. "She's Rei, not Mars. And that's Makoto and Ami. Please call us by our names unless we're in battle, which at this point seems very unlikely. Secondly," she continued, "enemies aside, there are supposed to be twelve of us. At this moment, we are missing four Senshi, two Mao cats, and the prince and princess. Makoto tells us that she found evidence that the princess has been living in Mamoru's apartment. And the battle…"

"Right now, we are only concerned with finding our friends and finding the princess," Rei continued smoothly when Minako fell silent. "This will be carried out with or without your aid."

"We too, are searching for our prince," Kunzite said, "and it is probable that we will find them all in due time. But we have a bigger problem on our hands. The true enemy has finally surfaced. Jadeite has wounded them, but it is only a matter of time before they come searching. It is all too likely that they were in the final battle." He didn't have to elaborate on which battle. It was the only one they wanted to know about. Had they fought the princess?

"That may be so," Minako replied, dropping her gaze from Kunzite's briefly before raising it to meet his again. "But we can't deal with that. That's something only you can do."

"But your safety also concerns us," Jadeite said. "We can't both defend you and fight the enemy. It was pure luck that they were too distracted by Zoisite to notice me. They know there are more of us now. We won't be able to catch them like that again. So unless we find them first, they _will_ find their way here."

"The choice is simple," Makoto said. "Don't worry about us. We may not have powers, but we can manage the youma."

Jadeite snorted. "How many times have you nearly died in the past few days? How many times have you needed rescue? I count three. Your odds of survival outside these temple grounds are highly unfavorable. They outnumber you considerably."

"Do **not** underestimate us!" She replied, helplessness welling inside her even as her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Even if that's true. There is nothing to be done," Minako said without emotion. "We failed in our duties. As I've said, now you're the ones with the power to do something about it. So, go save the Earth, and we'll do what we're able to."

Kunzite stared at Minako for a moment and then his gaze dropped to the table.

"No."

His voice was quiet, but the magnitude of the single word caused all eyes to look to him. Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"What?" Minako asked, confusion snaked across on her face.

Makoto glanced at the other Senshi. They looked equally as baffled.

"What do you mean no?" There was a tinge of anger to her leader's voice.

"It's also our duty to protect you."

Silence. She studied the faces of the other Shitennou. They seemed surprised and a little bit apprehensive, which only added to the mystery of Kunzite's behavior.

"_What_ are you talking about?" Minako finally asked.

"You may not remember, Minako, but a few lifetimes ago, we were friends and allies. I know the recent history between our two groups is unpleasant, but what I speak is true. We have to keep you safe."

Silence again. The Shitennou relaxed. She wondered at their reactions. Just what had they feared he would say?

"Maybe," Ami said quietly, "but to sacrifice the lives of probable millions for a few friends is unforgivable." She fixed Kunzite with a firm gaze. "You have a duty to the people of this Earth. We Senshi are of no concern to you."

"You say that only because you don't remember the past!" Zoisite said hotly. Ami transferred her gaze over to him.

But Rei replied for her. "Would it matter if we did?" She said icily. "We are Senshi. You are Shitennou. We know what sacrifice means. You should also."

"Don't say that! You don't know a _thing_!" Zoisite cried. His green eyes were bright with anger. And although he didn't move, Makoto could see him trembling.

"Stop that! You're going to hurt yourself," Ami chided, softening. "Don't you understand? We already failed once. If you lose this war, all because you wanted to protect us, then we'll fail again."

"Enough," Kunzite said. He glanced at Zoisite, his eyes communicated a message she could not read. The younger man subsided, a muscle in his jaw visibly working. "We'll decide that when we come to it. We still haven't discussed the important issues here." He looked at Minako. "We know the prince left for America. What happened?"

Minako looked down, pained, but her voice was devoid of inflection. "Sailor Galaxia. That's what happened."

"Sailor?" Jadeite asked sharply.

"Yes." Minako replied. "We were just as surprised that there existed other Senshi. Even more so that they were evil. We don't know what happened to Mamoru. He never made it to America and he never contacted Usagi. But by the time we found that out we had bigger things to worry about. And that was Sailor Galaxia." She examined her hands and Makoto could see the shine of liquid in her eyes.

"Long story short," she interrupted harshly, not wanting to cause Minako any more pain. Out of all of them, their leader blamed herself the most. "We went to fight the final battle, and we failed."

"We were weak. I was the last one, I saw it. We Guardians were the first to fall before the Outers," Rei added quietly. Rei did not mention the Senshi's forced betrayal of their princess. "Whatever else happened, only the Outer Senshi and then the Sailor Stars know."

"It is certain that there was a reset," Ami said. "The people don't remember the Senshi. That's what always happens when there's a reset and we are reincarnated by the princess." She did not repeat her thoughts from two days ago, when the Senshi had had their own discussion. That maybe, just maybe, Usagi had chosen not to bring them back. Makoto still refused to believe that of their princess and friend, even if Ami's logic had been undeniable. Even still, the alternate belief was scarier still, that something had gone wrong, that something had prevented them from coming back.

"And so you are reincarnated here and now, when the Earth is overtaken. That means whatever happened, they failed," Kunzite finished. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and pressing steepled fingers against his mouth.

"Why didn't she bring you back when this new enemy came?" Zoisite pondered aloud. "Who are the Sailor Stars?" Nephrite asked at the same time.

"We don't know," Ami said. "It doesn't matter now. We just have to find everyone. The Sailor Stars were battling Galaxia long before they came here. She'd destroyed their planet. We might run into them too, although it's probable we won't. They might have already been sent home. We just don't know."

"We know what transpired in the final moments before the invasion," Kunzite said. "The golden light they spoke of that caused so much disaster is only the work of the Golden Crystal, wielded by one Prince of the Earth. It is also a possible explanation of why we Shitennou were reincarnated."

The Senshi were quiet. _Maybe Ami's right_, Makoto thought bleakly. Why, of all of them, had Mamoru only been allowed to return to Usagi's side? What had happened to the other Senshi and the Stars? There was just so much they didn't know.

"So," Zoisite said, a frown on his face. "We may be dealing with Sailor Galaxia then, and someone else."

Rei shook her head. "No, your description of the woman does not match that of Galaxia's. We're dealing with something else."

"What is the plan now?" Ami asked. "The enemy is powerful, as Zoisite illustrates for us. They can find us, but you don't even know where to find them to fight them, and fight them you must."

"The longer we drag it out, the more people will die," Makoto added.

The Shitennou stayed silent.

Suddenly beside her, Rei stiffened. Makoto glanced at her suddenly pale face. She knew what this reaction meant; she felt the blood drain from her own face.

* * *

Minako had been looking, startled, at Rei as the miko suddenly keeled over, her face twisted and pale, but it was the dual sound of Jadeite staggering into the wall that caused an inkling of understanding to begin to surface in her mind. It was confirmed a split second later.

"Youma…" Makoto whispered in a kind of horrified tone.

"They're attacking!" Jadeite groaned, his hands shoving away Nephrite's to hold his own head.

Dismay rippled through the rest of the faces.

"In broad daylight?!" Zoisite asked incredulously.

"Where?!" Kunzite shouted, rising to stand.

"Everywhere!" Rei replied weakly. She had curled in on herself, refusing to budge despite Ami's concerned urging.

Kunzite only had to glance at Nephrite before he followed him outside. Minako watched them go, half angry and half despairing at her ineptitude. But this was reality she could not change.

"What do we do?!" Makoto asked. Her voice reflected Minako's feelings.

"C'mon!" She commanded, jumping to her feet. "We have to find the civilians!" With Makoto behind her they ran towards the other end of the shrine. "Go!" She yelled over her shoulder, pointing in the opposite direction when they hit an intersection. "Get them back to the others! I'll meet you there!"

Surprised faces turned to concern and fear as they took in her demeanor. "Are there any others around here?! The youma are attacking! We have to go!" The reaction was instant; the room was chaos as the people grabbed their belongings, weapons, anything. The few children began crying. She stood back and watched, mentally urging them to hurry, her eyes glancing down either side of the hall.

And then a sudden snarl. Her heart dropped, they had made it through. Her thoughts shifted briefly, worriedly, to Rei. Her eyes swung left. Before she even had a chance to take in blood and black slime or yell a warning, there was a flurry of movement out of the corner of her eye. Screams filled the air. A large (human) body filled her vision and collided with her. Minako slid painfully on wooden floor, too stunned by the impact to move. Footsteps thundered past her. A scream sounded again, the high pitched wail of a woman. Warmth splattered across her face and the heavy sound of a body slumping to the floor reached her ears. She finally dragged herself to her feet, and ran into the room, closing her mind to the headless body of the unfortunate woman that had gotten between her and death. A man battled with the youma, his machete connected solidly with most of its body parts, but it attacked him heedlessly. Her eyes searched the room for another useable weapon, but there was nothing. The rest of the people had fled with anything that could be used. She could only watch helplessly.

She backed into the hallway. "Hurry and kill it!" She yelled to the man. "There'll be more coming!" As though summoned by the sound of her voice, a youma turned the corner. She looked into the room, panicked. "WE HAVE TO GO! NOW!" The man took one glance at her, shoved the youma as hard as he could and they ran for it. A howl sounded behind them.

As she reached the former intersection where she'd split from Makoto, she was thrown for a second time. This time the foul body that slammed into her stayed with her. As she tumbled over the floor, she grappled with the monster, punching at its gaping jaw until every impact sent pain wriggling up her arm. But it refused to let her go. Sounds that reached her ears told her that the man wasn't faring so well this time. A surge of fear ran through her. She could not die yet. She twisted to avoid a claw aimed at her head. It embedded into the wood. She grabbed hold of it and contorted her leg around the creature's torso. With a grunt she pushed with all her might, at the same time she rammed her other knee into unyielding flesh. It lost its grip and slammed into the floor beside her and she smashed her elbow in between its eyes as hard as she could. It howled in agony. Minako glanced around wildly, and seeing the gleam of the abandoned machete she grabbed it and swung it as hard as she could. Blood splattered onto her. She staggered slowly to her feet, pain making itself known throughout her body, the machete making a wet squelching noise as she pulled it with her. She looked at it for a moment and glanced over at where she'd found it. A trail of blood led away and down the hall. The man, she thought numbly, he was dead. She turned and limped quickly down the hall.

The fighting had not reached the others yet when she arrived. "We have to go!" She yelled. Jadeite and Rei were sitting side by side, hands clasped, their clammy faces mirror images of concentration. Zoisite was standing closest to the door, his blade out.

"Minako!" Ami yelled with concern, she hurried to Minako's side.

"Get them up Ami! We have to get out of here, the enemy is through!" Her eyes scanned wildly behind her.

"They know," Zoisite told her, his eyes were bright and clear, he tossed an empty syringe onto the table. "They're trying to limit that number."

Her jaw clenched, but she conceded and let her anxiety go. "Has Makoto returned yet? We split up." She winced as Ami applied antiseptic to her knuckles. Now that the blood was off, she saw that nearly half the skin had been ripped off.

"No," Ami said worriedly.

Running footsteps caught her attention and she turned to see Makoto coming toward them. Her eyes shown with angry tears and she was as grimy as Minako was. She didn't say a word. Minako looked away, angry and ashamed at their weakness, just in time to see the wall behind Rei and Jadeite explode outward.

"NO!" The word dropped from several lips, but none were really heard over the commotion that followed. In the dusty air she could see Kunzite and Nephrite enter through the hole, fighting several youma that had swarmed into the room. The remaining two Shitennou were attempting to fight but she could see how difficult it was for them. Jadeite's strained face had blanched to the color of bleached linen and Zoisite's movements were somewhat stiff. Then her eyes widened, her mouth opened to scream, her feet began to move.

"REI!" The name echoed in the room, causing all eyes to search for its owner. She watched, as time slowed, as Rei's glazed eyes met hers, as those eyes swung around, as the pale arm rose in attempt to ward off the strike that came her way—and then time returned to normal, as the youma's claws connected with the side of Rei's head, knocking the priestess into the wall, the sound of splintering skull audible to everyone. On the other side of the room, Jadeite's anguished yell filled the air, and he collapsed.

Another scream echoed, and she belatedly realized it was her own anguished cry, as her feet finally carried her close enough to the youma. She did not stop, only brought the machete up. It immediately met resistance, blood sprayed, her muscles burned. Its claws slashed at her arms, but she bared her teeth ferociously and pushed forward with all her might. With a sharp crack the machete cut through and to the other side. The youma collapsed, dead. She dropped the weapon and ran for Rei.

Ami looked up at her as she approached, her face wet with tears. Makoto kneeled quietly, fists clenched tightly in her lap. She dropped to her knees and stared at the large pool of blood surrounding her friend's head. A shaky hand reached out to turn her over, but Ami's own bloody hand stopped her.

"She's gone, Mina!" Ami sobbed.

She shook her off and gripped Rei's shoulder, turning her around.

She felt bile rise in her throat and a detached kind of horror rose within her. One side of Rei's head was a mess of blood, hair and shiny gray bone. The other side was disfigured with three deep gouges. Ami turned away, eyes shut tight, tears still leaking. Makoto stared at Rei, her eyes blazing with hatred. Minako felt a part of herself disconnect. Tremors began rippling through the ground.

"Senshi! We have to go! The barrier is down!"

Three heads shot up at the sound of Kunzite's voice, so close to them. He'd been protecting them from the youma all this time. Irrational anger rose in her. Why? Why hadn't he protected Rei? She squashed her emotions ruthlessly. Beyond him she could see Nephrite doing the same for Zoisite, who cradled an unconscious Jadeite in his lap. She looked at the remaining Senshi. "We have to go," she said firmly, though her voice was thick with tears. There would be time for grief later.

Makoto made to pick Rei up, but Minako stopped her. Green eyes glared at her.

"You're not—!"

"She's safe here, Mako-chan," she said softly.

Makoto's eyes flowed with tears and spilled over. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned violently away, and they stood. Kunzite glanced back at them, and Minako could read the compassion in his brief gaze. It didn't ease any of the darkness in her.

"Let's g—!" A blast knocked her off her feet and onto her head, and the world grayed. Faintly, she could hear Ami screaming and Makoto yell alongside the voices of the Shitennou. The throbbing in her head intensified. The world went silent.

_What…_

Everything faded.

* * *

Chaos.

Kunzite staggered to his feet, pain throbbing in his left temporal lobe where he'd landed, and leveled his saber at the wave of darkness that poured forth from the hole and every entrance into the room. He faltered briefly, seeing the Senshi were right in the path of destruction. Nephrite was fighting to reach them. Minako was unconscious from the blast. Youma already had Ami in their grasp and were dragging her screaming back out through the hole. Makoto was also caught, pinned between the wall and a youma, struggling fiercely to get free. He would not reach them in time to save them. His choice was clear. He dropped his sword, attempting to maintain balance from the tremors, and reached above his head. His palm faced the ceiling, and he pulled forth from deep within his soul. The air around his palm coalesced in smoky wisps. Bright white light exploded, swirling into a ball. The youma shrieked in terror and pain. They backed away from him.

"HEAVEN'S WRATH!"

He slammed the power into the Earth. It shook even more violently than before. All around him, beams of light shot up from the ground, piercing all that was evil and expanding rapidly until the whole room was shining and white. The evil dissolved away and the light dissipated. His world went white in a high pitched whine for a moment, but he fought to stay conscious. When it returned to normal, he staggered to his feet again, terribly drained.

Zoisite was on his knees beside the Senshi, his hands clenched around handfuls of ash.

"They took her!" Nephrite yelled over the sound of groaning earth. He knelt before Makoto, who slumped, unconscious, against the wall. Kunzite could not tell where the source of the blood covering her body came from. Nephrite felt for a pulse, and exhaled shakily. "She's alive!"

He closed his eyes briefly, his jaw tightening. He'd been too slow. "Come on! We have to go now!" He cried hoarsely to his Shitennou. "Nephrite, get Jadeite! Come help me with the Senshi, Zoisite!"

Nephrite complied, and he went to Zoisite. He pulled him to his feet. "Let's go!"

Zoisite's green eyes were dim, tears leaking when he closed them. Kunzite shook him. "She's not dead yet dammit! Move!" He dropped the younger Shitennou, felt him follow behind. Zoisite wordlessly picked up Minako while he picked up Makoto. They escaped through the hole created by the second blast.

He could hear the faint howls of the youma behind them as they sprinted through the trees, their abilities taking them far from the battlefield. And then an explosion sent them all to the ground. He lay, stunned, the Senshi in his arms crumpled beneath him. The power beneath the temple had gone entirely unstable. The temple was no more. He smiled painfully, the thought of the large number of now dead youma that had probably swarmed that place bringing him bittersweet satisfaction.

"I can't run more—painkillers—wearing off!" Zoisite said between gasps. His face was already waxen.

He pulled himself up, wincing as his head throbbed in protest. He was also not fit enough to run for long. He hesitated, before pushing forward. "There's only one place left we can go now that we'll be safe," he said flatly. He should have thought of it sooner.

"You don't mean—!" Nephrite whispered in horror, his eyes swung between Zoisite and Kunzite.

Zoisite only closed his eyes.

"Yes," Kunzite said. The memories suddenly rose in his throat, a strong and bitter and vile aftertaste that he struggled to swallow again. Images of blood red hair and pale white skin, glistening nails scraping down his back—he winced and shut his mind, but he couldn't erase the filth that still crawled beneath his skin.

Nephrite's mouth closed grimly.

"Time to face our demons," Zoisite said quietly.

_Yes_, he agreed silently. He gathered the Senshi into his arms and stood. Energy rushed through him, an image appeared in his mind, and in an instant the trees surrounding them melted away and were replaced with stone ruins.

"Home sweet home," Nephrite said. His voice echoed hollowly.

Zoisite collapsed immediately, and Kunzite suddenly felt dizzy. He lowered the Senshi in his arms to the ground and sat down heavily beside her. He leaned against the crumbling stone and closed his eyes.

"No." The horrified whisper pulled him back to reality, back from the nightmares that had started to overtake him. "No, no, no! Jupiter! Makoto! No!"

He opened his eyes wearily to see Nephrite with his head against Makoto's chest, listening for a moment before he resumed pumping away at her chest in attempt to get her heart beating again.

"Goddammit! God please! No!" He cried furiously, tears streaming down his face.

Kunzite did not move to help him, only closed his eyes again. He might have already known, that second time that he'd picked her up, might have felt her life slipping away while he carried her. He'd been too late. _Too foolish_. He should have brought them all here in the first place. _Too cowardly._ _Endymion, I have failed again. Why? Is this the price of life? To lose all that we love? A punishment? An atonement? I don't want to atone, if this is the price. Your forgiveness was enough. Your acceptance was enough. We would gladly have endured all eternity as the ghosts that we were. The Senshi. The Princess. You, Endymion. Your lives are infinitely worth more than ours. And I…we, we'll return them to you...somehow we'll return them to you. I swear it._

He exhaled wearily, opening his eyes again. Nephrite sobbed quietly against the deceased Senshi, hugging her closely to him. Zoisite kneeled beside them, his complexion still a pale, sickly color. His hand gripped Nephrite's shoulder in comfort. He looked at Kunzite. "It was her heart. An aortic valve I think," he said tonelessly. "An inch to the right and she might have lived."

"Jadeite?"

"He's alive." It was all Zoisite said.

A groan pulled his gaze away and his throat suddenly constricted as Minako sat up slowly. She cradled her head in her hands for a moment, whimpering softly, and then looked around groggily.

"Where are we?" Her voice was distant, her blue eyes dazed.

He could see the alertness snap into her eyes, watched as they filled with grief.

"Rei-chan!" She sobbed quietly, but her tears suddenly stopped as if she realized something. "Ami! Makoto!" She looked around again, this time appearing to actually see her surroundings. For a minute, he had a futile wish that she would not look this way. But her gaze locked with his, and they traveled down. Her face lost all color, and her eyes grew large.

"Mako-chan." The whisper was fearful. Her eyes traveled to land on Nephrite, who had fallen silent, but still cradled the Senshi numbly in his arms. No one spoke. "No." Her eyes filled again, her voice was choked. "No."

"No. No. NO. NO! NO!" She looked angrily away, but in an instant she was on her feet and beside them. "It's not true! Tell me it's not true! She's alive! Right?"

"She's dead," he said without emotion. His heart was breaking.

Glistening eyes turned accusingly towards him. "Don't say that! She can't be dead! We haven't found Usagi yet! Makoto!" She reached out to shake Makoto. "Get up right now!"

Nephrite's hand shot out and slapped Minako's wrist away. "She's dead!" He shouted hoarsely. "Leave her be!" He pulled Makoto securely into his arms and stood with her, walking away.

"NO! What are you doing with her! Stop! LET ME GO!"

She turned and tried to pull out of the hold he had her in.

"Listen to me!" He shouted, forgetting his exhaustion in face of a hysterical Senshi.

"NO! Give me back my friend!" She froze. "Where's Ami?" Her voice was dangerously low and the look she leveled at him was not entirely sane. The answer froze on his lips. Concern warred with the expediency their situation required.

"She's been captured," Zoisite said, almost nonchalantly. Kunzite glanced at him. Zoisite's face was impassive, but his eyes gleamed with tears.

The Senshi froze for a moment. Emotions tumbled through her eyes, and then she laughed, collapsing into his lap, weeping loudly, giggling at the same time.

"We're all going to die! Usagi's dead! Mamoru's dead! The girls are dead! THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"

He couldn't allow it to continue. He pulled her up violently so that she faced him. "Listen to me!" He yelled. When she ignored him, he shook her. "LISTEN TO ME!"

"We're all going to die," she whispered hopelessly.

SMACK!

It echoed loudly, the force of it toppling her to the ground. He stared painfully at his hand, then clenched and dropped it, waiting for her to turn and look at him. She stayed quiet, and then her shoulders shook, her tears silent.

Soon enough, she rose to face him. Tears were still sliding silently down her face, but her eyes were clear. Painfully, brokenly clear.

"I—"

"I understand."

Her face crumpled, and she unexpectedly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest. Her shoulders shook violently again, still without sound. He hesitated, but gave in to himself and held her. He closed his eyes and savored her warmth, taking his own comfort against the bleakness surrounding them.

He heard Zoisite rise slowly to his feet and walk away. All that mattered right now was the blonde Senshi in his arms. The rest could wait for a little while.


	9. breaking point

**breaking point**

* * *

Zoisite slept uneasily, dreaming dreams of a life he no longer lived, surrounded by ghosts of centuries past. Her face lingered throughout it all, her crystalline eyes eternally sad as they gazed at him. A hand touched him, and he jerked awake, his thoughts alarmingly incoherent for a moment, dashing away into the recesses of his mind. But the ache in his body pushed everything into focus. They were still here in this forsaken place, and he'd fallen asleep.

He looked over to see Jadeite trying to sit up, a hand cradling his head as though it troubled him, before he blanched and went back down. His dazed eyes had darkened and faded to a murky grey pain. Zoisite also attempted to sit up, but only an inch off the ground and he broke out in sweat and pain. His muscles were exceedingly overtaxed and they were letting him know. He gave up and allowed himself to lie back down.

"Looks like we're not going anywhere soon."

Jadeite sighed, the barest hint of frustration in it. "You got that right."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like hell. I _did_ almost die. I was only lucky enough to cut away before my brain turned to mush. I still don't know how I did it."

"You know that's not what I meant."

Jadeite didn't reply, instead he looked up for a moment; his hazy eyes suddenly becoming more focused, beseeching some higher power Zoisite knew didn't exist.

"The taint of evil still lingers here," Jadeite observed.

"Yes," he said darkly. A memento from that time that he wished not to think about. His eyes drifted away from Jadeite and towards the ceiling again.

The two men stayed silent for several moments. Jadeite lost in whatever memories he had, and Zoisite, well, his mind had been empty for awhile. For once, he was almost at a loss.

"She's dead."

He looked over, startled, at Jadeite. The man's eyes were closed, his face the calm of sleep. The words spoken had held no emotion that Zoisite could discern.

"Yes," he replied cautiously, wondering where his brother would take it. "She is."

Jadeite opened his eyes and he could see that they were completely dry. "What do I do now, Zoisite? She's dead." His voice was matter of fact, like he wasn't speaking about the one love of his many lives.

"Mourn," he said simply. Exasperation edged into his foremost thoughts.

Jadeite blinked at him, his expression more lost than he had ever seen, before looking away. "I don't have that luxury," he whispered. "I failed her. Again. I—"

"Then by implication," Zoisite interrupted, "we all failed to save the women we love. Is that what you're saying? Because there was nothing we could have done—"

"Bullshit. I could have saved her, only I let the pain overwhelm me. I acted too slow! I—"

"Don't give _me_ that bullshit!" Zoisite yelled hotly. He could feel his own tears starting, his own guilt and pain and sorrow surfacing again. "There was nothing else we could have done and you goddamn know it! It was in the midst of battle! You were dealing with the elements of Earth! You're lucky to be alive! Just let it go now and mourn like you're supposed to!"

Jadeite's mouth quirked into a bitter half smile.

"I know," he finally said. "I know that what ifs and should haves won't bring her back. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Zoisite didn't answer, he only sighed and turned his attention back to the ceiling. His brother would never change. Beneath the ruthless tactician lay a man that felt far too deeply. He could laugh freely, could love freely, but Jadeite would never cry freely. His anger and his pain and his fears would always be tightly coiled inside until something gave. Even Kunzite allowed his shell to crack far more often; though he laughed a lot less. Never Jadeite. The only person that had ever managed to make him lose control was Mars, and she was dead.

His thoughts turned briefly to Ami. There really wasn't much hope that she was alive. He knew that and he didn't pretend otherwise. He'd almost given up, no, he _had_ given up, back at the shrine, when Kunzite's power had dispersed and he'd found no traces of her. Despair had overtaken all his thoughts, pushing his logic aside and consuming his will to live. But Kunzite's words, though they had rung falsely in his mind, had created some spark of hope and forced him to get moving. Zoisite wasn't delusional. The odds had been stacked against them from the very start. The chances of Ami, of all the powerless Senshi, surviving had been slim from the start even with the Shitennou protecting them, and now it had narrowed down to a very significant margin. It didn't matter anymore. Now that the enemy most likely knew about their powers, there was no point in hiding. The final battle was looming. It was only a matter of time until they all recovered. And then he would either find her, or he wouldn't. There wasn't much else he could do but fight to the end.

"Do you remember it, Zoisite?"

He glanced at Jadeite, inquiry in his silent gaze, but Jadeite's eyes were closed.

"When you killed her?"

He jerked with a start, his muscles screaming at the sudden movement. He stilled until the throbbing went away. "Why are you doing this?" He managed to croak. There was no question what he was talking about. The horrific memories had already swum into his mind and the tears were already welling, falling unbidden down his face.

"I remember," Jadeite said, as though Zoisite hadn't spoken. "I had just reached the gardens. When she saw me she instantly knew. Her senses told her what kind of monster I'd become."

He closed his eyes against the images in his mind, his jaw clenched tight. But they came anyway, and he saw. He saw himself approaching Mercury, in the pearly halls of the palace; saw the gleam of realization in her eyes as he swung at her without hesitation. The same eyes that had haunted him in his dreams.

"And as we fought, she never said a word. All that hurt and anger and hatred in her eyes never spilled onto her face."

Mercury had cried. As she fought, and as she died. "Enough!" He said harshly. Goddamn masochistic asshole.

But Jadeite continued, relentless. "In the end, when she was exhausted and on the brink, I finally managed to kill her. In those final moments before she died, all the rage and the hate faded out, and I saw pain, I saw sorrow, and I saw love. Despite what I was, she still loved me. And those eyes told me that she forgave me. I couldn't understand then, being what I was, but she forgave me, Zoisite. She was a goddess, and I the monster that killed her, but she forgave me for being so weak."

He was sobbing quietly. The image of a cold and lifeless Mercury was burning itself into his brain. The blood spreading slowly across the floor, the last of her tears dripping off her face. The brilliant cerulean eyes that had closed forever in his heart. He had yet to ask her for forgiveness, and now, he might never get the chance.

Hatred suddenly welled, reminiscent of a time when it consumed his soul and he stalked the halls of this place as one of the damned, plotting the demise of the Senshi. He welcomed this feeling, at least for the moment, for it pushed the weariness out of his soul and mind and body. But it couldn't last long, because he was not one to hate, not when he remembered all too clearly what it felt like to be so twisted by it in heart and mind.

It hadn't been their fault. They'd been turned against their will. He knew that now, though he hadn't known it then. It had been a slow conversion and that was why none of them had noticed at all until it had been too late. But they should have. They had allowed the darkness to sink its claws into their very souls and twist loyalty and love and righteousness into something treacherous and all too malevolent. They'd been too weak and too unwary and so the blame still laid with them even though it hadn't been their fault, because billions had died for it.

When all was said and done, he had nothing to lose, and the world to gain. This world would not perish if he could help it.

* * *

Minako didn't want to wake up. She didn't know when she'd fallen asleep, but it had been a reprieve from her bleak reality and she had wanted to languish in it—had wanted to, but knew she could never. She felt tears gather at her eyes, and that pushed the last of her consciousness into waking. Warm, unyielding arms were still wrapped around her, a solid contrast to the cold floor she lay on.

She pushed herself slowly upwards and out of Kunzite's lap and his arms slid to rest there. He leaned against rubble, his eyes closed in what appeared to be sleep. It was apparent that he'd expended a lot. His usually tan face was pale, even in the dim light, bleached almost to the color of his hair. And his clothes, much like her own, were filthy. She felt mild horror that her head had been resting on youma blood all this time, but it quickly dispersed. She also felt something akin to warmth for this man that had brought her to her senses, but again it was a distant feeling.

She glanced away from him, at her surroundings. They were in some sort of throne room. It was nowhere that she recognized, but she recognized that it had once been grand. The marble floor still partially gleamed, as did the gold inlay on the walls. The throne sat empty and lonely on its perch, the cushions long since crumbled to dust. The large ceiling-to-floor windows behind it were completely opaque, as though someone had painted them black. Some of the pillars—fourteen in all she counted, had crumbled also, their pieces scattered cross the floor. _Where does the light come from?_ She wondered absently. There were no visible light sources, and yet she could see everything as though there were. Where were they and what had happened here? She winced as she glanced down at the bloody congealed mess that resembled her arms. Thoughts of infection flitted through her, but they had no medical supplies to speak of at the moment, so she let it go.

She spotted two of the Shitennou sprawled near the rubble beside the door, their voices echoing faintly over to her. She knew that they were Zoisite and Jadeite, as they were both blonde. Nephrite hadn't come back, and Makoto—grief gripped her throat convulsively, and she let that thought move on without resolving it. She pushed herself slowly to her feet and there she stood, suddenly, decidedly lost.

"Are you alright?"

She turned to see clear green eyes gazing steadily at her. She thought about it for a moment. "No," she said honestly. The detachment that was forming wasn't something new. She recognized shock, she recognized the numbness. She could now see it all so clearly in her mind, as though she were watching a movie that wasn't her life. Rei's face before she was struck. A hazy partial vision or dream of Ami and Makoto being dragged away. Makoto's lifeless body. She couldn't think too hard about it, or she would lose herself.

"I am sorry about the Senshi." His voice was quiet, his words triggered a wail inside her that wanted to bubble out into the open and never end, but she didn't allow it to.

"Me too." She looked away from him, and at the empty throne. A sudden aching for Serenity pulsed deeply inside her. _What do I do now Princess?_

Find the others. It was the only thing she could do. She could figure out the next step once she got there. The Shitennou had their business to take care of already and she was nothing if not a burden.

"Kunzite—"

"Minako—"

They each broke off at the same time. She pressed forward.

"Take me back. Wherever this is, take me back home." She didn't look, but she could feel the sudden intensity radiating from behind her. It was only slightly disconcerting.

"Why?" His tone was neutral, careful.

"We've already spoken on this matter haven't we?" She turned, a smile etched on her face, but he did not return the smile. His eyes only stayed focused on her face, his own a blank canvas. "There are still others of our family that need to be found. I can't keep hanging around you, depending on you to keep me safe when you need to find the enemy as soon as you've recovered and defeat them."

"We don't even have a name for our enemy," Kunzite countered coolly. "Our numbers are effectively halved. Our morale is low and we are injured. It will be awhile before we go into battle."

"No," she corrected. "It won't be awhile, because there is no time. And I still have to go. The others...they need me…and I need them." She did need them. She needed familiarity and comfort and support of the team that she had left, even if the outers didn't technically count, they were still the family she had left and she needed them all to maintain a stability that she could feel wavering deep inside her soul. Everyone had a breaking point, she knew she was at hers.

"You will die." There was no mercy in his voice, no inflection at all, as though he were stating something as common as the weather.

"I still have to try." She knew he didn't want her to go, much like the first time he had protested against all of them. He knew she had to, and would. "There's nothing else I'm able to do." She knew he knew that too. They were very much alike, the two of them, as leaders. He would do the same if their positions were reversed. She knew it.

"I refuse."

Minako whirled on him, glaring outrage.

"You will only waste your life. Yes, I agree that they need to be found. But now is neither the time nor the place. When we have recovered, when we attack, you'll have better chances with the distraction we provide. I won't stop you from searching for your loved ones, but I refuse to allow you to throw your life away. We will wait and you will wait." His green eyes finally became dark—anger, she strangely recognized—after the impassive speech. "You know better, Venus. Clear your mind and focus. You can't allow your grief to overcome you like this. It will only get everyone else killed."

She looked away, and her feet carried her further away from him. He was right. She knew he was right. She had to compartmentalize everything to put it into focus and do things correctly. Think clearly. The Senshi in her was fighting for it, and literally after centuries of existence, it might have been winning. But she didn't really care. The Minako of this life, the Senshi of Venus, of Love, of _this_ life, didn't really care. Makoto and Rei were dead. Ami might already be dead too. Usagi was in all likelihood dead. Who? Who was left to be strong for? Her decisions would get no one killed because there was no one left. The Shitennou were more than capable of taking care of themselves. She had to move and find the others, before something else happened.

"I can't lose anyone else," she said softly, her face crumpling.

"I can't lose _you._"

Her head rose in surprise at the outburst and her feelings dispersed for a single moment of clarity. She hadn't thought Kunzite was possible of such outbursts. In all the very short time that she'd known him she'd sensed that he wasn't the kind to display his emotions very often. And then his words registered and she felt her eyebrows rise. If possible his eyes were even more intensely green as they gazed at her, a hint of sorrow and pain lurking beneath the anger. Confusion wormed its way into her brain. She hardly knew him. Even if they had known each other in the past…her thoughts froze. Had they had a_relationship_ in the past? It certainly seemed that way, seeing his behavior now—unless she had judged him wrong.

"Were we lovers?" She asked abruptly. She gauged his reaction and what she saw confirmed the terrible truth. He visibly winced and looked away, his anger fading into something else—guilt…and more pain. "It must have hurt," she murmured, suddenly sad and suddenly glad she couldn't remember her life in the Silver Millennium. "Since you joined the forces of evil it must have meant…" He must have betrayed her; otherwise the reaction would have been different. It seemed strange to her, that this man that she'd come to know these past few days was once evil. Had their situation not been so desperate she'd never have had the opportunity to know him, to trust him. She would have died before trusting him. She still remembered their battles clearly. But the man she now knew, this Kunzite, was so…noble. She found she couldn't see it anymore even though she knew he was capable. What had driven them to betrayal? None of the Shitennou seemed like the type. She suddenly wondered about the other Senshi. Had any of them been lovers too? Had they all been betrayed? All of them, Guardians to Serenity and Endymion, who were lovers themselves. It was very possible. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Please." He was looking at her again, once again the impassive soldier. "For your own sake, and for mine. Please stay until we decide to move against the enemy."

She looked away. She didn't want to. But his plea tugged at her, a small spark of warmth inside her soul. It wasn't an unreasonable request and a small sense of self-preservation urged her to agree. She focused on him again, granting him a quick small smile. "I guess I'll just have to do my best to get you guys up and about."

She walked slowly away, her gaze wandering, her thoughts warring, Senshi of Venus vs. Aino Minako. But as she walked, it brought her closer to the other two Shitennou, and as she began to clearly make out their words, she halted, and she heard.

* * *

_And in the light of Sol, therein flew the angel,_

_her wings spread in all majesty to embrace me,_

_in which she named me and I was named and loved for all eternity,_

_but in my folly I killed her,_

_her wings aflutter,_

_a broken creature and radiance lost forevermore—_

"It _is _okay, you know."

The verses in his mind broke off. Jadeite opened his eyes and stared, startled, at the sound of Minako's voice. She stood not far away from them. Her blue eyes glistened and her arms hugged her body. _Fragile_. It was what she was, what she looked like. Nonetheless, he swallowed with unease. They really should have sensed her before.

"What you did, I know they would forgive you simply because they loved you. We all make mistakes, Senshi included. What matters now is what we do to make up for it."

"That's the point, Minako," he replied casually, "I screwed up again. She's dead. I can't make up for it anymore." _Forevermore._

Her face collapsed slightly and seemed to freeze. "Things sometimes happen that are out of our control," she said. Her voice trembled only a little. "But what matters is that we still try. She'll appreciate it. I know she will."

He smiled. "Are we talking about the same person here?"

Surprisingly, she giggled, and her face seemed to light up for a moment, but the pain never left her. He didn't think it ever would.

He looked beyond her, and he could see Kunzite attempting to stand up.

"Looks like our resident leader is overtaxing himself again, Minako," he winked at her. "Perhaps a beautiful someone could give him a hand?"

She flushed slightly and looked behind her. She glanced down hesitantly at the deathly still Zoisite. "Go on, I'll take care of him," Jadeite urged her. With a slightly reproachful glance at him she turned and returned to Kunzite.

The smile faded as soon as her back was turned. He knew she didn't buy it. It was so thin, he didn't even buy it. But he was too tired right now. His insides were hurting too much. His heart felt squeezed and his lungs could barely hold the air he inhaled. His head still throbbed on every occasion. He was too tired but to focus and keep it all in and wrestle with it until it was resolved.

He wished—no, there was no point in wishing, he could never do something so foolish. He never intended to stop fighting. But he hated himself so much, so entirely much. In all honesty, he should have joined her. Only, his instincts had taken over and reacted where he was unable, cutting him off almost instantaneously from that power that had begun devouring him. And so he hurt, but not nearly as much as he deserved to be hurting.

He touched his brother, but Zoisite did not move from where he lay curled on his side.

"I'm sorry."

"Go to hell."

He half smiled at the sullen reply. Zoisite was already over it, he knew. He'd already stopped crying. It was just his way.

"I'm sorry, Zoisite. I was just…venting. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Zoisite snorted but didn't reply anymore, and he let it go.

His thoughts inevitably turned back to her. She was dead. Only she had ever made him feel anything close to human. The mere thought of her brought this hollow ache that pulsed so painfully inside his soul. And that's where he kept it, a constant reminder of his sins. Her death compounded with everything he'd ever done to deserve a permanent place in some cold dark hell. Even when he'd been under Beryl's control, his personality, though a mere and slightly twisted shadow of all that he was, wasn't so drastically different from what he was now. What humanity was left in him now? Evil could have companions, evil could have friends, even if it were only something to be eventually destroyed. But evil could never love. She was dead. Would he now one day revert to that state of existence and again destroy everything else that meant anything to him? He'd always been so weak.

He hadn't meant to pull Zoisite down with him, or had he? He sighed. Zoisite got so easily emotional.

"So."

He glanced over to see Kunzite settling on the floor beside Zoisite. Once he was seated properly, Minako sat down beside him. They both looked so woefully ill together. His own image probably wasn't any better.

"Injuries?"

"Recovering nicely," he replied. He sat slowly upright, his legs perpendicular, an arm resting on a knee and a hand cradling his head, which had begun to throb with some intensity once he'd reached vertical orientation.

"Speak for yourself," Zoisite said. He was still sprawled on the ground and his eyes remained closed. "I'm gonna need a week."

Kunzite looked back at Jadeite.

"A couple days, tops."

Kunzite sighed. "I'll probably be up sooner than that." He rubbed his head as though it, too, ached.

"Should we lay plans now?" He asked. It really couldn't hurt, anyway. The strategizing would help him from thinking of…other things.

"No," Kunzite replied, shaking his head slowly. "When one of us is up to it, we're going to go get supplies, clothes, food. And check on Nephrite."

"I could do it now. I'm the only one able," Minako volunteered suddenly. But even as she said it, he saw apprehension creep into her expression.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He inquired. As scary as she was fragile, a drastically different girl from the leader of the Senshi that he knew and what he remembered, he didn't want to see what happened if she broke. He glanced at Kunzite, but the man remained silent.

"Yes," she shrugged, attempting and failing a small smile. "I'll have to face it sometime."

He glanced at Kunzite again, but the man's gaze still remained on the Senshi. "If you insist."

She succeeded at smiling at him before rising and disappearing out the door. "Are you sure about this Kunzite? Who knows how safe this place is." He watched as she paused for a moment, glancing down both ways before choosing a direction to travel down.

"She's a Senshi, Jadeite. Former or not, she can handle it. Besides which, the only thing left in this place that's remotely threatening is the stability of the walls. The entrance in the arctic has been completely sealed, there's no possible way for anything to get in here." Kunzite sighed. "We aren't in any position to stop her anyway."

He scoffed under his breath. "Too true. To think we were overrun by minions."

Kunzite remained silent, his face blank, his gaze downcast. When he spoke it was soft. "I do apologize."

He stared at him. Even Zoisite opened his eyes to stare at him.

"Oh, just don't, Kunzite," Zoisite said irritably. "You and Jadeite, I swear."

Jadeite smiled.


	10. interlude iii: the symbol

**interlude III: the symbol**

* * *

"My love." The man's voice was gentle, almost kind, almost loving. His hand rested on the glass. The woman inside floated silently in glowing blue liquid, her life in suspension while the wound to her heart healed. Her long black hair fanned around her, covering her nude body from all eyes. A symbol shone clearly on her forehead.

"We should be attacking them."

The man did not turn to address the speaker. "There is time for that later," he replied mildly.

"Did you not feel the magnitude of the power that erupted just now? They will come here and destroy us."

"If you are afraid, then go take care of it," the man said with silky venom.

There was pause as the other man hesitated. "You know I cannot," came the dark reply. "That woman did something to me. I cannot use my powers without…repercussions."

"Then there is nothing you can do."

"I—"

"Leave us!" The man snarled, turning his head to glare at the continued intrusion.

Anger wrapped in darkness flared behind him, but the energy faded rapidly, and the other man walked away. He turned back to the glass.

"My love," he repeated softly. "When will you wake my love? Vengeance awaits us. Those filthy mongrels that dared strike us will pay dearly. They are nothing compared to us." He felt hatred course through his veins at the thought of them, shaking his calm into pieces.

A light erupted from the glass, and he backed away with a shout, squinting painfully to see the symbol glow brightly. But it faded quickly and he felt joy, for her eyes opened. He rushed back to the glass.

"My love!"

She stared at him, blue eyes dazed and confused and a little bit fearful, and she stared through him and around him. She opened her mouth to speak but only bubbles issued from her mouth. He hastily snapped his fingers, and everything disappeared, leaving her standing before him. He caught her as she collapsed, choking and vomiting liquid from her system.

Just as she looked up at him, her system finally clear of liquid, her body healed, she went rigid, the words that had been forming on her lips froze, and she collapsed again.

"No!" His yell echoed, lost in the darkness. But his anxiety was short lived, for when she sat up only a split second later, her eyes were clear of their daze. The symbol had disappeared from her forehead, but he was too overjoyed to notice. He hugged her close to him, and she sat quietly, reorienting herself with her minions.

When he pulled back, her eyes glinted at him in the darkness.

"Bring the girl."

Just outside the partially closed door, dark blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully.


	11. the curtain of shadows

**the curtain of shadows**

* * *

It was a void, a black space, and Ami had trouble breathing, although, it might have been the tight grip that the youma had her in. When the cold began seeping into her bones and her body began to numb, she suddenly found herself slammed into the ground. She gasped for air, her entire body stinging from the impact. And just as multiple sets of teeth sank into various places on her body, before she could even scream, she was pulled into the void again, her breath sucked away from her.

She was slammed yet again into the ground. When the pain subsided, she sat up slowly and looked around her, rubbing away the water in her eyes. She winced as the movement pulled at the fresh teethmarks, sending rivulets of blood down her body. She applied pressure to the one on her arm, covering it before she looked up again. She was in an empty throne room, ruins of one anyway, and the only sound seemed to be the nervous and frantic beating of her heart. It looked vaguely familiar to her, but she supposed that every throne room looked like the one she stood in. She pulled herself to her feet and started for the doors at the end.

"So."

She twisted to look. The thrones were suddenly occupied by a man and a woman. She swallowed hard. She could hardly see them, as they dwelled in a curtain of shadow, but she knew who they were, and she knew she would probably not make it out of here. A slight scuffle from beside them pulled her gaze in that direction, but she could see nothing. Her eyes scanned the rest of the darkness around her. She felt very small suddenly, for she could feel the multitudes of eyes upon her. She swallowed again, but kept her gaze on the two that she could see.

The woman tilted her head. "You are one of the special humans aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Her voice was steadier and stronger than she felt. "Who are you?"

His hand waved, and although she could neither see it nor hear it, she felt his power pass over her. She shivered. A glass coffin appeared in front of her, floating hardly a foot off the ground. She gasped and her eyes teared up immediately. She dropped to her knees.

"Usagi-chan," she whispered hoarsely.

"She is your friend is she not? Your shine is almost like hers."

There was visible movement in the darkness now, and a man stepped forward into the light. But she paid no attention to him. Her fingers ran lightly over the cold glass. Her hair was silver now, she saw, but the rest of her remained much the same. Her skin was flawless, and her white dress spotless. She laid on plush white silk, her hands clasped over her body as if in death. Ami glared at the throne. "What have you done to her?"

"Done?" The woman laughed. "We've done nothing, despite the nuisance she was. We have preserved her, and we intend to revive her."

"Yes," the man agreed, "although she was problematic, she is powerful. We would not have her wasted on a species like humans."

The other man walked closer, and she saw his face for the first time. The blood drained from her face.

"MAMORU!"

He did not appear to notice her, but walked right up to the coffin, his fingers grazing the glass much like hers had. She grabbed his arm and shook him. "What have you done Mamoru?" She cried. "What have you done?"

But he shook her off, and with a disinterested gaze at her, returned to the curtain of shadows beside the thrones. She was bewildered.

"Don't mind my pet," the woman said, "he has not recovered from the battle against her."

"No!" She couldn't believe it. He'd been the one to… "How could you! She loved you! Mamoru!" But the veil of darkness remained still.

"You monsters!" She cried angrily. "How dare you treat the lives of humans so callously! I can't forgive it!"

Light suddenly erupted from Usagi's chest. It spread outwards and enveloped her. A familiar searing on her forehead. The faded image of a blue planet in her mind. Shrieks echoed in the throne room.

"This light again!" The man cried, arms covering his face.

"Kill it!" The woman shrieked, cowering behind her hair.

But nary a thing dared approach her. She cried in a mixture of elation and sorrow as the familiar warmth enveloped her. Her wounds magically closed, her clothes and all the grime on her body evaporated as silky soft ribbons of air slid around her. Her soul filled with ice as phantom lips touched her cheek in a frozen kiss. Her vision went blue as the visor slid its way across her face and bits of data began scrolling down the screen. When her feet touched the ground, she was once again, a Sailor Senshi.

"From the Star of Water, Mercury is my Guardian! I am the Senshi of Knowledge, _Eternal_ Sailor Mercury!"

"Special indeed," the man commented coldly. His eyes burned with hatred, intensifying his corneas until they glowed like blue flames. "You dare defy us?"

"Please!" She implored. "Why are you doing this? Won't you reconsider your position! This planet is beloved by many, it doesn't deserve the horror you inflict upon it!"

The woman sneered. "I think not. The youma is merely the darkness that resides in every human; we only released it into the open. You are fighting your own evil natures."

Sailor Mercury frowned. "While it may be true that every human has a dark side, it's something that can be overcome! We have good in us! What you're doing is unnecessarily cruel!"

"There is nothing you can do about it, my dear," the man's smile was malicious.

"Yes there is!" Her arms shifted to one side, her palms locked together. "MERCURY!"

"An attack?" The woman said mildly. "Do you _really_ think you can do anything here? In our domain? You are grievously mistaken." Her arm rose almost lazily. She saw it and rushed to finish her attack. The visor flashed a warning.

"ARCTIC DR—!"

But there was no attack. Instead invisible fingers closed around her throat, cutting off her air flow and choking the words in her mouth. She gripped at the phantom fingers, pulling with all her strength but they did not lessen their hold, instead they lifted her into the air so that her feet dangled. And suddenly she was jerked forward and flung back. She tumbled across the stone floor, little bits of rock cutting into her.

"She's of no use to us." She heard the woman say dismissively as she rolled to her knees. "Give her to them."

And, for the third time in a row she was sucked into the void again and dumped in an unknown location again, except this time, before she even landed, she knew that she was in trouble. The howls and screams of the youma echoed all around the darkness, and although her landing was clear of any slimy filthy creature, it wasn't long before attack came from all directions.

She fought desperately, kicking and punching the shapes that appeared through heat sensor on her visor, trying to clear enough space and time for an attack to wipe out most of them. She took the first one she felt she had, ignoring the claws that raked against her back.

"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"

Bright blue lit the darkness, illuminating the monsters that surrounded her, followed by a path of destruction as her attack destroyed a good portion of them. But it wasn't enough. There were just too many. It wasn't going to work. Fear settled into her stomach. Her jaw clenched, her mind raced. She cleared another opening.

Her arms crossed, her palms rested open against her shoulders, "GLACIAL FREEZE!" She flung them outwards and down in a complete circle around her. Ice emerged from the ground, accelerating upwards. It closed above her in a dome, separating her from the youma. She collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily, her back stinging from open wounds. It would not last. Already she could feel the tiny fissures opening as the youma pounded away. Her minicomputer appeared in her hand and she scanned for an exit. There were none.

She was at a loss. She could continue fighting them, there was always the off chance that if she destroyed them all more would not come. But she very much doubted it, seeing as how she seemed to be deep in the enemy's lair. To continue fighting would be almost futile and a waste of strength. Of course, she could continue to maintain the shield in hopes of rescue. In hopes that since she regained her powers it seemed plausible to assume that the others had too. But Rei was dead and Usagi had been in no condition to revive her. Then again, Usagi had not been in a condition to give her powers. It was possible. She hoped.

It was risky either way. Her computer suddenly beeped alarmingly. She glanced at it and shot to her feet. An opening had just come into existence. She frowned, but it was already gone. Her computer beeped again, registering a darker, more powerful presence approaching. She swallowed. She was going to have to fight to the end after all. The youma had gone silent. A heat signature in the shape of a man emerged from the mass of youma and stopped just outside her dome. The youma backed away.

"Interesting."

She stiffened. She recognized that voice.

"I don't recall you ever being so powerful. It must be a new development."

"What do you want Mamoru?" She demanded.

"If you want to live, Senshi, you'll come with me now." He paused, but when she didn't answer, he shifted slightly, turning away. "Or you could stay here and die uselessly. It's really up to you."

"Come with you where?" Her mind raced. She didn't dare trust him, not after what he'd done, but she didn't seem to have any other options.

"Come or not."

She exhaled shakily and allowed her shield to fade away.

* * *

"Where are we going?" She asked him. Her voice was cool with confidence and all the calm in the world. But she trailed a full yard behind him and he could feel the tension radiating off her body…well, it might have been the power she now wielded. He cared not.

"To see her, of course."

A spark of anxiety flared behind him. "Usagi?" Her voice was hopeful and he had to smile. It was more of a sneer of course, but it was all he afforded at the moment. Perhaps later…when he was complete again…

"Mamoru?"

Startled out of the reverie of half-contemplations he'd fallen into, he oriented himself with reality again.

"Tell me, Senshi. Where did you gain such power?"

"If you know who I am, Mamoru. Why don't you say my name?"

He hesitated for a moment, his footsteps faltering briefly before resuming. In truth, it made him ill to even think her name, much like his own. He didn't want to suffer the consequences of saying either out loud. But he did know who she was. His memories were returning to him daily, at first a slow trickle, but now they rushed him in torrents, chasing away his nightmares only to replace them with a life he knew was certainly his. The war within him was a trying ordeal, but he knew where he belonged. And he would regain his life if it killed him.

She didn't speak anymore, perhaps discouraged by his lack of answers and he followed suit. The darkness inside him didn't allow much room for more than memories of his old life and so he preferred to keep his distance until he could remedy his situation.

"Here we are." The doors had been untouched since he'd first tried to open them. He felt a slight thrill that he now had a way to enter. The power of light always overcame darkness, even here, where no light could survive for long. He turned to her. "Even before we get through this, they will, without a doubt, know what we're up to and we won't be able to avoid them." He didn't have to explain who they were; her nervous expression already told him she understood. "That means we have to get to her quickly and teleport out of here. So don't hesitate and don't linger. If we get separated, I _will_ leave you. Now, blast through this." He gestured towards the doors.

Her large eyes stared solemnly at him, nearly unreadable behind her visor. "Why are you helping us now? When you were the one who—"

"The time for explanations is later, Mercury!" He cut her off, feeling a bout of nausea rise in him as he said her name, threatening to overwhelm his senses. "Now blast through this door!"

She considered him for a moment and nodded once, her expression determined. She shifted, bringing her arms to one side, her palms locked together. An invisible breeze rippled through her clothes. "MERCURY." Her voice echoed from a distant place. A shiver ran through his body.

He winced as she glowed her signature color and actually had to back away as light gathered in her hands. "ARCTIC DREAM CASCADE!" The light exploded and he stumbled back, barely able to see as she spun once and released it at point velocity. The ball of light slammed into the door and disappeared. Ice spread out swiftly, crackling loudly. In the next instant it all shattered and only a large hole remained.

He moved, grabbing her arm and dragging her in. He was half blind but he Felt where she was. As Mercury cried out behind him he knew that _they_ had also come. He could feel their rage now. He ran on regardless. He felt the darkness gathered and released behind him. He stretched out his hand towards her coffin. Almost there. _Too slow!_ His mind cried, but arms wrapped around his body and Mercury screamed, the blast catching her fully as she shielded him from harm.

"Get us out of here!" She cried as she collided against his body.

They both flew forward.

His hand touched glass.


	12. from the dead

**from the dead**

* * *

It was a magnificent garden. Full of her favorite kind of lilies. Rei could never get enough of Casablanca Lilies. The moon light…no…the Earth? She stared, confused, at the large blue planet that dominated the night sky. A distant male voice called her name joyfully. She turned to look, but the garden evaporated, and she stood on a barren field full of craters and pits and red dust that expanded as far as she could see.

_"Rei."_

She turned. The flowers fell from suddenly limp fingers. Her heart jumped into her throat.

_"Usagi!"_ She cried, throwing herself at her princess. Warm arms wrapped around her, and held her until she could stop crying and apologizing. She pulled back to look at her princess. _"Where are you Usagi? What's going on? We need you!"_

Usagi smiled sadly and kissed her softly on the lips.

Her surroundings changed in an instant and Rei found herself on fire. Usagi crumbled away, and Rei shrieked, her arms closing around nothing. She fell sobbing to the ground, waiting for the fire to devour her too. But instead of being burned, it seemed to cradle her in its very warmth. No, she wasn't burning, she _was_ the fire, and the fire was her. And she forgot about Usagi for a second as the fire filled her very soul, completing her once again.

When it vanished she was alone. She twisted around, desperately scanning the desert for her princess.

_"Rei."_ Usagi's voice echoed in the air, distant and fading. _"Time to go back Rei. I love you. I love you all. I'm sorry I couldn't bring you back before."_

_"Usagi!"_ She cried, _"Usagi come back! Please!"_

_"Be brave…"_

The ground around her melted and she fell into the darkness. When she came to, she stood on what she recognized was the ruins of her shrine. Particles of light flew up from the rubble, collecting and merging in front of her to form a vague outline of a body that she recognized as her own. When it was nearly complete, she stepped forward and into the light and opened her eyes. Her body was whole. She was whole and wholly naked. She dropped, her knees digging into charred wood. Her tears soaked into the ground as they fell silently from her face. She could feel the power of Mars inside her. She could feel the ghost of Usagi's kiss still lingering on her lips. She could feel the darkness that weighed heavily in the air around her.

"Usagi…Serenity…we need you…" The whisper was lost in the sudden shifting of debris just behind her. She looked in time to see a youma leap free of it and towards her. Her sign flared on her forehead, a warning to the darkness, as she leaped sideways and tumbled to her feet. Her hand shot into the sky and the familiar weight of the henshin wand fell into it. Words formed in her mind.

"MARS ETERNAL MAKE UP!"

Light filled her, swarming around her in fiery wisps until Hino Rei was no more and in her place stood the Senshi of Mars. She reacted immediately.

"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

The beam of fire pierced the youma mid jump and it crumbled to dust. She turned, sensing the evil rising at her back. They were being drawn to the power, blazing tenfold now that she was a Sailor Senshi. She sneered at them, watching them struggle through the wreckage towards her, tearing through each other to get to her first. A few went airborne, closing in from the distance.

"By the Star of Fire, Mars is my Guardian," she murmured remotely, her eyes sweeping across her enemies in silent study, "the Senshi of Combat, _Eternal_ Sailor Mars! And I will stem the flow of darkness here and now!"

"MARS," her whisper seemed to ripple visibly through them; the power behind the single word caused some of them to pause. "DAZZLING," light swirled in front of her, spinning into a miniature sun, "FLAME," the light began to burn, it faded from yellow to orange to red to pure white in a matter of seconds, the air around it shimmered from the strength of its heat. She brought her hands up to cradle it from either side. "BARRAGE!" Her hands flew wide apart violently, and the ball of fire burst into a thousand pieces, each shooting out to find a target, a swarm of fireflies on a quest for vengeance. She watched the wave of ash travel downhill, her power just ahead of it, destroying the darkness that had come for her. When silence finally fell, and all that was left was dust, she leaped and ran down the hill.

The battle was on, and she was going to slaughter every single one of them.

_For Serenity…_

She kicked. She punched. She broke bones.

_For the Senshi…_

Her uniform was no longer in pristine condition.

_For every soul on this planet…_

"BURNING MANDALA!"

_And all the ones that have already lost…_

The adrenaline, the power, ran pure through her body and she felt no weariness, felt none of the injuries of the few shots that got through.

_I'll send you back to the hell you came from!_

She didn't notice the ripple at first. She'd been fighting for hours it seemed, working her way through several streets and up several blocks. They came from everywhere for a taste of her and she annihilated them all. She'd barely worked up a sweat—it was so easy to take them down. And then the ripple exploded into a swirling vortex of hungry leeching darkness. The youma around her hissed loudly and almost magically disappeared back to the shadows they'd lurked out of. Sailor Mars looked, but although she felt the location of it there her eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary. And then, a man and a woman stepped, out of the air, out of that vortex. It closed up instantly.

"This one is so bright," the woman murmured.

"She's caused quite a disturbance. She's more powerful than the blue one. Pity they're so useless," the man replied.

"Your kind must be exterminated," the woman said. "We smell the foolish determination on you. That delicious anger that's directed at us. We've already killed your friend. She died agonizingly slow, ripped to pieces and devoured. Now the rest of you can join her!"

She had no time to speak, no time to think. In a mere split-second, that dark aura that reflected in their eyes as they stared at her flared up and she was forced to dodge sideways to avoid the pulsing fireball that sped past her to explode behind her. But there was no mistake that they were the ones that Zoisite had described. The air around them practically shimmered with power, all of it cold and tainted and ruthless. They were out of place in the bright sunlight that filtered down from the sky, so dark the aura surrounding them was.

She skidded to a stop, the tips of her boots digging into the ground, and pushed against the ground as another fireball was sent her way. This brought her into contact with both of them and she struggled to fend off attacks, twisting her body at impossible angles to avoid the vicious claws that came from both directions. When she had a clearing she somersaulted backwards and away from them.

"INFERNAL HOLOCAUST!" Sailor Mars yelled even before she landed. The orb of darkness that had followed closely behind her impacted and dispersed harmlessly on the pillar of flame that had suddenly appeared around her. The pillar stretched upwards into the sky and then, as though something had exploded in the center of it, it burst outwards, traveling rapidly back down to earth. A low sound followed it, building until it was like tens of thousands of lions in a single furious roar. The fiery pillar spiraled outwards, devouring anything in its path. When it reached the ground the flames finally faded, revealing Sailor Mars at the center of it all. Her eyes burned, and blinking did nothing to lessen the feeling. Her skin felt hot and she felt feverish. The ground and air around her was blackened and charred, everything burnt to crisp in a matter of seconds.

The man and woman were down on the ground, groaning, but even as she starting walking towards them they struggled to their feet. Gone was the calm arrogance in their eyes where only anger now reflected. They alone had survived the fire, but not unscathed. Burns traveled up the woman's left arm and her floor length hair was considerably shorter. Her clothes were singed, with holes in various places and many of the jewels had melted off. The man was in no better condition. His white hair was only blackened and dirty, but part of his face now sported welts that were already swelling. The injury traveled down his neck and beneath his shirt.

"Very good," the woman snapped, baring her teeth. "Our shields cannot hold against such power. It seems we are no match for your kind here on Earth. But come, little lamb, to our domain and we'll see where the battle goes."

"You killed one of my friends did you?" Sailor Mars asked quietly.

"The little blue one with ice in her veins," the man chuckled contemptuously, his eyes glinted cruelly at her as though he could sense the turmoil within her. "She died screaming."

The rage in her grew, the heat in her eyes seared, and little flickers of flame ghosted over her skin. She lunged for them. But in an instant, the vortex opened again and swallowed them. She pulled to a halt. She had expected the vortex to close, but instead it spread outwards and became a now visible doorway. Light did not penetrate the curtain of darkness within it.

"At the moon palace, human!" The woman's voice echoed in the air around her, full of derision. "Come meet your end!"

Shock rippled through her. They dared defile the moon palace with their presence? They DARED? She would not, _could_ not allow it. Anger fizzled hotly beneath her skin as strode towards the portal.

It ended now.

* * *

Makoto never expected it to be like this. Who knew how long she'd been here. The darkness stretched on around her, endless and everlasting with nothing else in sight. She'd expected some kind of light, a heaven, or maybe a hell. Hell, oblivion would be considerably better than the state she resided in now. She didn't remember what Jovians believed in, but she was pretty sure it wasn't an existence like this. She seemed to have a vague impression that citizens of Jupiter usually always sought and conquered challenge. She somehow couldn't imagine them settling for an afterlife like this one. And if this was the afterlife, just where was Rei? Where were the rest of the people that had died so recently? Maybe this _was_ hell, and it was _her_ hell, designed to punish her for her failures.

Distantly, a female voice called her name.

And just like that, the darkness lifted, rolling away like someone peeling the skin off a potato. She didn't recognize her surroundings, but it seemed to be a castle or palace of some sort. The hallway stretched to somewhere around the curve, pillars lining the way like soldiers on either side. Any markings or inscriptions on the walls had long since faded away. Movement drew her gaze down, and she stared, hard.

Her body lay on the dull marble floor. It was a sad sight. She couldn't really tell what had killed her; and she couldn't really remember. There was just so much blood everywhere. She glanced at herself, eyes searching for the fatal wound, but her transparent body yielded none of its secrets, for it still retained the image of her real body. She sighed and glanced at Nephrite. He knelt beside her body, his hands clasped tightly in his lap in silent vigil. His eyes were closed. Lines of grief were etched into his face. As she watched him he didn't seem likely to move anymore. She fidgeted restlessly.

"Why are you here Nephrite?" She murmured aloud. Why was he mourning so deeply for someone he hardly knew and once called enemy? Makoto shrugged; maybe it was just his way. But even as she thought it she somehow sensed it wasn't the right answer. She gazed down both ends of the halls, wondering where the girls were. She randomly chose and drifted in one direction, sparing only a single hesitant glance back at Nephrite and her body before continuing. She really had no reason to linger there.

It wasn't long before she heard voices and came to an open set of doorways and she realized she had chosen the right direction, and upon investigating she'd found the rest of them. Well, the rest of the Shitennou and Minako. Where was Ami? She had listened, fascinated, to Jadeite speak. He seemed to have had a relationship with Rei in the Silver Millennium. She frowned, turning slightly to stare back the way she'd come. Was that why Nephrite so mourned her death? Did he love her from a past life? Had he kill her too? The thought was unsettling in many ways.

She studied Minako's face as the Senshi stood, unnoticed by the two men, and her heart went out to the blonde. There was a transparent quality to Minako, as though she were the ghost and not Makoto. Was Ami dead too? "Oh Minako." There was a fresh and vivid pain in those crystal blue eyes that seemed permanently fixed there. It was disheartening. She couldn't seem to remember Minako the way she'd been, the effervescent girl that had led them so determinedly into battle before. The image just wouldn't come.

From they way she spoke, Makoto assumed Minako knew the history that she could only guess at. Had she been keeping it from them? How long had she known? But she couldn't get too upset about it, she was dead after all. They all were. What did it matter now, about past lives? Her current life now was a past life.

Abruptly, the world around her wavered, and she felt herself being pulled apart. She clenched her teeth to keep from screaming aloud, forgetting that as a ghost, no one would hear her anyway. Everything went black for a moment, and the first thing she saw next was Sailor Mars.

"Rei!" She cried happily. But her joy was subdued as she watched her friend wade viciously through the surging darkness that was youma, destroying them easily. This Rei, this Sailor Mars, was _different_. More powerful, more intense. Although, Makoto wasn't sure she'd be so different if she were in the same situation. The energy fairly hummed around Sailor Mars as she cut through the enemy, her face in a frozen state of feral alertness and fierce satisfaction. Her uniform was even different, rounded sleeves, gloves past the elbows and knee high boots, double layered skirt and a star brooch. So many other little changes. Every so often, she even thought she saw a glint of _wings_ emerging from the Senshi's back, but nothing ever appeared outright.

Just how had Rei survived when they all saw her die? And how had she regained her powers? She was in awe of the power Rei retained now.

Sailor Mars defeated the Enemy, when they appeared, with ridiculous ease. This was who they feared? These were the two that had wrought so much destruction on the Earth and ruined all their lives? Makoto seethed with anger. It wasn't fair. It was only when she saw her friend head toward the doorway that she snapped out of her rage.

"Don't!" She glided towards her friend and hovered anxiously beside her. "Don't be stupid Rei! It might be a trap! It's too dangerous!"

Rei hesitated, turning slightly to glance behind her and then looked directly _at_ Makoto. Her hopes rose for a minute. "Rei?" But though it seemed the priestess could sense her, she could neither see nor hear her. Sailor Mars looked back at the portal again, eyes narrowed in hatred and barely contained rage, and then walked away.

She would have liked to follow her, but a sudden phantom wind sprang up and pulled her away. Miles and miles away over blurry landscapes until it finally slowed at a large house on a cliff by the seaside.

She stared curiously around her. It wasn't somewhere she'd been in her life. She glided into the house and gazed about. Why would she end up here of all places? It was a nice, poshy place, with brown leather furniture and warm golden floors. Huge windows overlooked the seaside. And then her gaze was drawn to a painting on the wall, and the ones beside it, and suddenly she knew where she was.

As if on cue, the artist walked down the stairs. Her sea green hair was pinned up severely and she dressed in dark skin tight clothing. Her eyes were fierce and yet at the same time they were haunted. A deep scratch, in the beginning stages of healing, started just at her shoulder blade and ran around to the center of her neck. A gun rested easily in her hand, another holstered at her waist. A thick white bandage wrapped around the upper portion of her left arm and bruises mottled her gun arm.

"Oh Michiru," she said sadly. It wasn't an image that she ever imagined on Michiru, but she supposed the times called for adaptation.

Behind her, Michiru clasped Hotaru's hand and led the little girl into the kitchen where she boosted her up onto the counter. Hotaru had seemed to escape any injuries whatsoever, and Makoto was glad. Michiru left her momentarily to open a cupboard. "What do you want to eat Hotaru?"

But little Hotaru looked straight at Makoto and her dark eyes filled with tears.

"Baby what's wrong?" Michiru asked, alarmed, abandoning her search.

"Mako-chan, Michiru-mama!" The little girl chimed tearfully. "Mako-chan with blood all over her!"

"Oh honey, Hotaru, no! They're all fine! You'll see!" Michiru pulled her surrogate daughter into a protective embrace, her face crumpling in distress and grief and anger where Hotaru couldn't see.

Horrified that Hotaru could still see her even without Senshi powers, she could only nod along with Michiru's exclamations and smile, hoping the placate Hotaru. But the violet eyes never wavered in their sadness. _How?_ She wondered, bewildered, how and why was she still so in tune with death? It wasn't fair.

Outside, a motorcycle's roar, along with the ever familiar youma howling, steadily drew closer, and Michiru's head shot up. Her eyes were alight with tension and fear. She pulled Hotaru off the counter and ran upstairs. Makoto attempted to follow, but something pulled her back.

"No!" She cried, fighting to follow them, fearful for their plight. But no matter how much she resisted, the scene surrounding her faded into the once again familiar darkness. "NO!" She cried again, tears falling in frustration. She collapsed to her knees and pounded the darkness with her fists. "Bring me back!" She wanted so badly to help them.

_"Mako-chan."_

She froze. All the emotion drained out of her, leaving only one, and as she slowly looked up, it intensified and filled her. Her princess stood before her, her hair silver and her eyes ethereal and eternal, containing wisdom that was beyond Makoto's comprehension. But she was still Usagi all the same.

"Usagi," she whispered, her voice breaking on a sob.

Her princess stooped to hug her tightly. _"It was difficult to find you, Mako-chan,"_ Usagi teased softly, _"you seemed to have found the most remote place to hide."_

"Usagi!" It was the only word she could whisper, overcome with emotion as she was.

Usagi released her and stepped back. Her royal gown rustled quietly, somehow bright in this dark. _"Time to go back, Makoto."_ Her tone was fierce. _"Time to fight the darkness."_

"What about you?" She asked desperately, feeling energy build around her and dreading it, for she knew it would take her away from Usagi.

_"Don't worry, you'll be seeing me soon,"_ Usagi winked, and the world exploded in light.

* * *

Nephrite didn't know what had happened. One minute, there had been so much hurt inside him that he was frozen, unable to do anything that required being anywhere else. Then Minako had come, but before she had even spoken anything, there had been a dazzling light and Makoto had disappeared and reappeared, standing before him. His mind had overloaded, and he'd been left without a way to react. He did the first instinctive thing, he pulled her to him and didn't let go.

Warm arms, that had been so cold before, curled around him and held onto him.

"It's okay Nephrite," she whispered into his ear. The voice echoed to him from beyond time and he couldn't help it. He buried his face into her shoulder and stayed there, his tears falling swift and silent. His body trembled. She soothed him with quiet words, one hand stroking his hair softly. Her quiet strength, combined with the comfortingly familiar smell of her body, allowed his senses to return to him and he managed to convince himself to let her go. His head rose up and he gazed at her intensely, ignoring his still wet face.

"How? What happe—"

His voice faded away as she smiled at him, her luminescent eyes sparkling with calm, and then she looked past him and her expression grew somber. He looked behind him to see Minako on the floor against the wall, her knees to her chest and her hands covering her face. Makoto released him and kneeled before her friend. It was then that he noticed that she didn't have a single thing covering her, and as his gaze couldn't help but travel down the pearly length of skin, he shivered again and resolutely lifted his eyes to remain on her face.

"Minako, I'm really here."

A strangled sob sounded from the Senshi's throat, but her hands came down and shining rueful eyes peeked out at them.

"I'm sorry. I just really couldn't handle it if you were a hallucination."

His goddess smiled and reached out. Minako collapsed into her arms and cried there. Makoto murmured gently into her ear. After a moment the blonde pulled back and smiled tearfully. "I'm so glad you're back Mako-chan." They hugged again. He smiled.

"How?" Minako asked, rubbing her eyes.

Makoto stood, pulling her friend with her. "I'll explain everything later. I have to go help the others. Now, how do we get out of here?"

"I'll do it. Just tell me where you need to go."

She smiled at him, reaching out a hand. He took it without a word. He didn't know how he felt. He just didn't want this to be a dream, and if it was, he didn't want to wake up to a nightmare. A sense of calm overcame him, washing away the grief of the last few hours. The future was looking better.

"But Makoto, your powers—" Minako protested, latching on to Makoto's arm.

"—are back, Minako. Everything will be fine." Makoto hugged her sister again, and that seemed to ease some of the worried tension he saw in the blonde Senshi. "Everything will be fine," Makoto repeated, "and we'll be seeing Usagi soon enough."

Tears welled in Minako's eyes, and she loosened her grip, stepped back, and actually managed a genuine smile.

"Tell the others," Nephrite added. "We'll try to come back with supplies. I know we need them. Especially for your arms."

The blonde Senshi nodded silently.

He looked at Makoto. "Ready?"

"Actually," she laughed, extricating her hand, "I need to transform first."

* * *

"This is strange," he muttered, "where are the youma? They should be attacking by now." He and Sailor Jupiter walked down the middle of the street, him trailing slightly behind to allow her to lead.

"Sailor Mars has been through here."

It was all the reply he got, but it was more than enough. It seemed things were turning. The Senshi weren't dead, and they now had their powers. He couldn't help but smile. Things were definitely looking up. And then all of a sudden she stopped, and his focus turned back to his surroundings. A doorway stood in the middle of the street, its destination into somewhere he wasn't sure he wanted to go. The feeling he got from it was similar to memories he hated with a passion. He glanced up. The stars twinkled dimly behind blue skies, clamoring in fear at the darkness that was so near to them.

"Are we going through there?"

Sailor Jupiter shook her head, turning away from him, her eyes searching. And then her face broke into relief, and he followed her line of sight to see Sailor Mars appearing from the tree line, an anxious civilian in tow. She approached them, and he saw that she'd been fighting hard. Her uniform was even ripped in places—something he knew, through experience, was difficult to do to a Senshi uniform. They rivaled, and were infinitely more comfortable than, any armor he'd ever worn. The women embraced tightly, and he thought he saw the shine of tears, but neither woman cried.

"Usagi?" Mars asked when they pulled back.

Jupiter nodded.

"They killed Ami."

Jupiter nodded again, this time more slowly. "We'll make them pay," she vowed, her eyes shining with promise.

Mars didn't reply but the look on her face told him that the enemies would regret ever messing with the Senshi.

He smiled. "I'm glad you're okay Sailor Mars," he said sincerely.

She smiled at him, some of the grimness melting away from her face.

"We have to go help Michiru, Mars," Jupiter said, "and Hotaru. I know where they are. They're running out of time."

He frowned slightly. His was an inquisitive mind, not scientific like Zoisite's, more along the lines of the why behind existence and the purpose of life and so forth. And they were making him curious. Again he wondered, just how, _how_ did she know? He'd come back from the dead himself, but it wasn't like he knew what had happened to Endymion or anything else for that matter. No great Truths had ever been revealed to him. The stars weren't even telling him anything much. And yet, the Senshi seemed to know such things. He mentally shook his head and focused on the women again. There would be time for questions later.

"I can't," Mars replied. She gestured to the woman beside her. "This is Anna. I found her just now and she says that there are a lot of people hiding out in the sewers."

The woman nodded, her dark curls bouncing tiredly. _Just like the rest of her._ Her large brown eyes lacked luster, sporting several bags and her chubby face was beginning to cave inwards. But despite her ill appearance she seemed to have escaped any serious injuries. _Which is a miracle considering how many injuries we've sustained ourselves over these past few days._

"My father's a policeman, he knew we didn't have a chance of holding the monsters off in our houses so we got most everyone on our street to evacuate into the sewers. The monsters were too big to fit through the hole and by the time they punched through we were long gone. They can't even track us by scent cause it smells so awful down there."

"Your father's a smart man," Nephrite said. He didn't like to think he was vain, even if he didn't have any way of defending himself, but he never would have thought of the sewers.

Anna's mouth quirked up into a soft smile and her eyes grew slightly moist. "Yes, he was a lot of things."

He winced at the past tense. "I'm sorry," he automatically began to say, but Sailor Mars interrupted him.

"And you're trying to make your way out of the city. Forty-three people in all right?" At Anna's nod, Mars looked at Jupiter again. "Unfortunately, no one knows which way to go to get out of the city. The theory is that all the pipes should head to the Sekona Center for processing, which sits very near the edge, but so far they seem to only be lost."

Jupiter nodded. "I get it. We'll just—"

The Senshi of Fire shook her head. "It's not that simple, Jupiter." She nodded her head in the direction of the doorway. "We still have _that_ to deal with. We can't risk having anyone run through it by accident, even worse, we can't have anything come out of it that's worse than anything that's already here. So far I haven't seen activity, but…" Mars shrugged.

He studied the doorway, and being himself, he offered the most reasonable suggestion. "Have you tried destroying it?"

Sailor Mars gave him a cool look. "What? And risk releasing that energy so it can spread? Or maybe destroying the only thing that makes it visible so that the chance of accidental entry will rise?"

He shrugged. "Well yes. Last I left, I don't think any of the others are up to guarding this gate. You could stay here while we go get your friends and then you'll be free to lead the people when we get back, but that's pretty brutal seeing as how sewage air isn't exactly healthy and it's going to take time and planning to find the way out anyway."

"Or we could just block it off from all four sides and hope nothing comes out of it," Jupiter commented. "There are plenty of abandoned cars lying around."

He shook his head. "I still vote for trying to destroy it, if it doesn't work we can still contain it. We wouldn't be any worse off than we are now, right? And you're a priestess right? You have seals. Shouldn't it be enough to hold it?"

Her eyes narrowed in thought, and his eyes skipped to Anna, who still stood just behind her. He suddenly wondered what and who she thought they were. Or did she simply not care? The world was already full of horrors, how would three obviously strange people be of any serious affect? She might have even thought they were crazy the way her wide eyes were darting between the three of them. After all, _she_ couldn't feel the darkness permeating from the doorway, even if it looked sinister enough. But she hadn't bolted yet and so she must have had some iota of doubt or hope that they could help her and her people.

"Alright, we'll try it," Sailor Mars finally announced at last. "My Senshi powers augment my spiritual abilities, and if anything, we should at least be able to contain it." There was still doubt lingering in her eyes, but her manner was confident.

"But why do we even have to destroy it anyway?" Jupiter argued. "If you could seal it like that why don't we just leave it sealed until we get back? It shouldn't take that long, they couldn't be too far from where I saw them last. Or just stay and guard it Mars, the sewers might not be healthy but they're alive, which is what our friends won't be if I don't get there now!"

Mars shook her head. "Without myself to supply energy, the seals won't hold against serious attack. It'd be pretty much useless. This way if there _is_ some reaction from our attack, I have a better chance of containing it. We can't be careless, Jupiter!"

"You would risk Michiru's life? What about Hotaru's? She's only eight years old!"

"That's not what I'm talking about! This is not the time to be brash, Jupiter! Would you really want the life of an innocent hanging over you? I know—"

"You didn't see what I saw Rei! And the whole world is dying! I'm sorry, but I want to go save the few people who might have a chance of saving what's left of it!"

The Senshi were facing off now, and Jupiter quite obviously radiated anger and distress, but it unnerved him that he could read no reaction from Sailor Mars. Her face was that of still waters and her body remained relaxed. Though her dark eyes flashed from time to time he could not read what it meant.

"We can't be careless, Jupiter," Sailor Mars reiterated, but there was no heat in her voice.

He shrugged and reached out to take both Senshi gently by the arm. "Look, I'd feel better if there _wasn't _an evil dimensional doorway in the middle of the street anyway. So let's just destroy the damn thing and go save your friends. It's taking longer to argue about it then to just do it isn't it? Now, do we need all three or are two Senshi enough?"

"Actually, you and Jupiter will be doing it. I have to be ready to activate spells." Mars moved away from them without another word and began pulling spell bound papers seemingly out of thin air, praying over them before placing them in various positions and layers around the dimensional door.

Beside him Jupiter remained quiet for a moment more, watching her friend prepare. Then she looked down and when she looked back up, a tight little smile had appeared on her face. "Alright, let's do this." She glanced at Anna. "I think this is where you go stand by the trees, just in case." The girl nodded, her face a little pale, and fled to the safety of the tree line some distance back. She looked at him. "Ready?"

"As ever," he replied with a grin. He couldn't help but feel a little thrill, because even though they were just blasting a doorway, he was fighting beside her and not against her, which was where he had always belonged. His grin grew even wider as his power welled up within him, for it had been millennia since he'd felt it and used it and it seemed to complete something in him.

He watched his hands in anticipation and sure enough, raw power the color of shimmering rubies surrounded them, dripping to the ground and scorching cement where it impacted. He glanced at Sailor Jupiter and sure enough her smile had grown into a grin that echoed something like his own.

"Ready!" Sailor Mars yelled, and he saw that she had seated herself some distance away from the grid of seals she'd placed around the door.

He caught Jupiter's eye and nodded once before clapping his hands together at chest level, his thumbs and forefingers connecting to form a triangle, his focus solely on the doorway. Green light flared in his peripheral.

"OAK EVOLUTION!"

A flurry of razor sharp leaves flew towards the doorway, leading the way for the glittering globe of red that followed closely behind it. The two manifestations of energy slammed into the doorway, and as he watched in shock, much of it absorbed directly into the darkness. But then the darkness _twisted_ and pushed outwards. The doorjamb melted away. For a moment it seemed like Sailor Mars succeeded in keeping it contained, as inky blackness spread against the invisible barrier, spreading into a dome. Laughter filled the air, multitudes of voices leering and jeering at the three of them.

"FUCK!" Jupiter yelled.

"RUN!" Mars screamed.

But there was no time. And he had only a glimpse of her strained face, her mouth moving furiously in silent incantation, before a soundless explosion rocked the air and he knew no more.


	13. interlude iv: we need no allies

**interlude IV: we need no allies**

* * *

"_At last._" The voice was a permutation of voices. Thousands of souls caught in the darkness till they became part of it over eons of time. "_You've finally come to good use. We thank you for the portal. _"

The man snorted, and the woman bared teeth in silent distaste. They resided on their thrones, not proud and tall as they once were, but weak, their frail bodies slumping into the cushions like sullen children. Their powers coursed slowly through their bodies in regeneration.

"Do not presume to start speaking now, Chaos. You have no say here. You're a mere shadow." He could feel both his repulsion and his attraction to It, both parts fighting for dominance. The fire witch had damaged more than just his skin; she had burned some of the dense veil over his soul. Since his awareness of his existence, since his first truly formed thought, Chaos' hold over him had lessened—but every fiber of his being still remembered being under Its control, and he almost couldn't resist the magnetism of its power.

"_Which was why you were needed in the first place, to find the crystal and secure our release. But we have finally acquired a new vessel, one we will have complete control over. Where you have failed, she will succeed._"

"A new vessel? Don't tell me, another petty human." She was afraid of It, but she would not give into It. She was not a weak play thing to be controlled by It anymore. She reveled in the shivers of fear that traveled slowly up her spine; it merely served to spark the fires of rebellion in her—fires started by a mere human girl she loathed for daring to touch her. She might not have remembered who she was before Chaos, It still held that part of her, but she abhorred the thought of once being a mindless slave. She would die before she became one again.

The voice laughed, slow and arrogant and mocking. "_Petty? Nowhere close to such a quality. We have managed to capture the one that put you in that pitiful state. Her corruption is difficult, but we will succeed._"

The man snorted again. "Which means you have nothing."

"_How dare you speak to us with such disrespect! Once we gain access—_"

"Oh do shut up Chaos. You'll no more succeed in completely corrupting the girl than you have us. Much like Mamoru, she will break free. And one day, Chaos, when our memories return to us, we will destroy you for what you've done to us." The woman's eyes flashed brightly, her mouth twisted in contempt.

Chaos laughed again. "_You think us so weak? We have survived beyond time and space. We cannot be defeated. We reside in every sentient being in every sentient universe. _You_ cannot defeat us. Where we have created you, we can too destroy you. It is only a matter of time before we can secure our release._"

"And yet, and yet, a simple thing such as possession you cannot even do. You've only grown weak over time, the girl's power has further weakened you. She alone has managed to thwart your plans again and again. But one day _we_ will destroy _you_ and scatter your nothingness into the void where you belong."

"_Even now we reside in you, twisting your thoughts so. You think you've escaped our hold? Think again._"

Both man and woman gazed at one another, and identical smiles shone at the darkness overhead. "Lies," the woman said. "We know where we stand. You cannot catch us with such feeble words."

_"We regret the day we chose you to do our bidding. The others were never so difficult. There are no absolutes where you are, which is why you have failed to conquer or destroy this planet. Your petty ideals stay with you even now, and they chain you to those humans._"

"You didn't _choose_ anything. Metallia and Galaxia and whoever else you 'chose' to do your bidding were all prey, we are nothing of the sort," the man said, "and humans are worthless. It is doubtful that many will survive the youma. We are no more chained to them then we are to you."

"Meanwhile," the woman added, "present your vessel then and should she prove burdensome we'll destroy her too. She's another little prey is she not? Her kind isn't nearly as predatory as we are and we are not so stupid as to let anyone gather energy for your return."

Chaos hissed, its displeasure echoing. "_You will pay for your insubordination._"

"Oh please do," the woman hissed in reply. "We look forward to the challenge. The universe never needed you."

With a roar the darkness dispersed, leaving the shadowy throne room as it was before.

"What are we doing?" The man asked his companion quietly.

"What we must," the woman replied, her eyes shone with a softness that none knew but her mate. "It's nothing we can regret should our memories return. They deserve it. They are vile creatures. They are more Chaos than anything. They are the ones to sustain it for so long."

"And these new ones? The bright ones?"

"'Mamoru has gained his memories it seems, and saved them. If they survive then so be it. If we cannot defeat them then we would have no chance against Chaos."

"They would be more effective in fighting It, for we are part of Chaos ourselves. It knows this, and It is not afraid of us. Perhaps we should spare them. Perhaps we should ally with them."

The woman shook her head. "If they cannot defeat us then what chance do they have against It? We will continue, and what will be, will be. We need no allies. They fight for such poisonous creatures of greed. They are of no use to us. Let them come, and we'll see who is destined to continue forward."

Clawed fingers reached out and intertwined.


	14. birthright

**birthright**

* * *

Kunzite didn't quite know what he was feeling. First and foremost was anger. He was angry that Nephrite had rushed into a dangerous situation without even thinking to inform the rest of them. And it _was_ dangerous to be on the surface with a Senshi by your side. Even if said Senshi had regained her powers. That was where the shock came in, at what Minako had told them, her face so utterly happy that he wasn't quite sure if it were the truth or if she'd snapped at seeing Makoto's body. He tended to go with the former because logically, there was still Nephrite's disappearance to contend with, unless Nephrite had snapped and gone off into the bowels of the palace. But he didn't think so. Temperamental as Nephrite could be at times, but there was no way he could be so fragile, not with as much philosophical nonsense as he liked to dabble in. He hoped not.

And then there was the worry, because as a group they'd barely managed to survive, and although Senshi powers far surpassed Shitennou, there were still far too many youma to deal with on their own. Furthermore what would happen if the Enemy appeared? If memory served him correctly, neither Nephrite nor Jupiter, either due to pigheaded stubbornness or fiercely misguided determination or even blind rage, were ever known to back down from a battle they couldn't win. "Run away" simply didn't seem to be in their vocabulary, not unless someone reminded them of it. But he didn't have time to ponder these feelings, or even think of what to do, because he suddenly felt the crossing. _Someone_ was crossing into this dimension, something that shouldn't be possible but for very few people. It didn't feel like Nephrite and most everyone else was already here. He spun to locate the intruders—and paled.

There in the middle of the room, stood Endymion and Sailor Mercury. Before anyone could react, there was a sound like quaking Earth and the room became awash in bright golden light. He stared around him in awe. This, _this_ was the palace as he remembered, Elysion as he remembered it. The Golden Kingdom. The marble floor shone brightly, its dark veins spidering across the floor in magnificent patterns, spiraling up the pillars into ornately carved conceptions of Pegasus the winged unicorn, half nude maenads, and the rays of Sol, the sun god. The walls once again gleamed gold, the magical engravings of the ancient language clear for the first time since he could remember. Through the windows he could see the wondrous gardens of Elysion, filled with color and light and life once again. And then his gaze was drawn back to Endymion, for suddenly the Golden Crystal floated there, in front of its master.

But it was wrong. The ashen pallor of his prince's face remained untouched by the crystal's glow and indeed Endymion seemed to wince away from the light, his dark eyes reflecting distaste and just a little bit of fear. "This didn't seem to be my destination." His voice was mild compared to his expression.

"Go ahead," Sailor Mercury whispered. "Take it. It belongs to you." She coughed weakly, and Kunzite saw for the first time the pitiful condition the Senshi was in. Her complexion in contrast to Endymion's was paler by a few shades, and she slid off of his shoulders slowly, sagging against him to try and keep upright, but falling anyway.

Beside him he felt Zoisite start for Mercury, but Kunzite gripped his shoulder and held him back, silencing him with a look. He didn't know why he did it; he only had a feeling that if this moment were interrupted something horrible would happen. It seemed everyone else had the same feeling, for no one else moved.

"Take it! For her, Mamoru! For Usagi, remember? Usako?" Mercury cried urgently. Her visor slid across her face, disappearing to somewhere, and her eyes glowed fiercely, painfully, in the golden light. She lost her hold on his shoulder and slid to the floor. Her hand reached out to the glass coffin that floated beside them. He swallowed his horror as he sighted the charred and bloody mess that was her back. He glanced at Zoisite, but the Shitennou didn't seem to have seen it yet.

Endymion remained hesitant at her words, but her touch drew his gaze to the coffin and Kunzite saw the sudden decision in his face. Strangled joy rose in him as his prince reached out and claimed his birthright. But it was short lived. The crystal flashed once, disappeared, and his prince suddenly doubled over, his face twisted as though in pain, and dropped unconscious to the floor. Mercury smiled, tears running down her face, and collapsed beside him.

All around them, the palace faded to ruin again.

Forgetting all his aches and pains, he moved, supporting Zoisite as the younger limped almost pathetically towards his beloved. They all moved, too fearful, too shocked and too exhausted to even make any noise.

"How is he?" Jadeite asked, his voice deceptively quiet. He heard Minako inquire anxiously about Mercury.

"He seems fine," he replied finally, after a quick examination. True, his prince didn't have a scratch on him, but his complexion still didn't look good and there was a fluctuating aura about him that resonated darkly. It scared him more than anything. But there was nothing to be done until Endymion woke up.

He turned to see a pale Zoisite sitting unnaturally still beside Mercury, his green eyes focused intensely on her back. His entire body was rigid and his hands had fisted themselves closed.

"How is she, Zoisite?"

Silence.

"Zoisite?" He ventured again, wondering if the man was going to choose this moment to break down.

The blonde Shitennou didn't answer, but his body relaxed and his eyes dimmed. "Sorry," he spoke calmly. "I needed to get myself under control." If anyone noticed the way his eyes suddenly glittered they didn't comment. "We need medical supplies, and we're not waiting for Nephrite," he continued flatly, as though daring anyone to argue. No one did.

"I'll go," Jadeite volunteered.

"No," Kunzite interjected. "I'll go. I'm better off than you. I don't have that much of a head injury, you do." He glared when Jadeite began to argue, silently pulling rank.

But Jadeite, after a momentary silence, leveled the look with a defiant one of his own, disregarding rank. "I'm better at stealth than you are. _And_ I'm faster."

He scowled. "Which won't matter at all if you're too brain damaged to fight."

"I'm not staying here because of a mere headache," Jadeite argued. They glared at one another, neither relenting. Kunzite couldn't believe that he was choosing now of all times to do this.

"Oh for crying out loud! If you're both gonna insist, then _both _of you go, now! Split up, bring back everything we need!" Minako broke in, glaring at them. She stood beside the glass coffin, her hands splayed on its clear surface, her eyes shiny with tears. All thoughts faded away into decision, and he stood slowly. He looked over at Jadeite, who was also standing.

"Let's go."

* * *

It was a quick and quiet trip with very little fighting. Once he got moving his headache had dispersed with the wind. He didn't know where Jadeite had chosen to go, but he headed straight for the hospital. The mission was clear. He would get the medical supplies. Jadeite would get the food and the clothes and whatever the hell else they needed that wasn't medically related. There had been relatively few youma around, which was strange in itself, but he had no time to ponder it.

When he returned, they moved the injured party onto the thin mattresses he'd acquired. It had been difficult, to find any that had not been stained with blood or anything at all. The hospital he'd found was like the other one, and it had been worse because the bodies had decayed in the heat. The generators had gone off some time ago and the once sterile hospital had suddenly become a cesspool of bacterial infestations. Battle triage was something he knew very well, but this had been so much worse. He'd felt ill just walking through that place. He covered his prince in a blanket, searching the pale face for any sign of improvement, but not finding any he turned to watch Zoisite and Minako cleaning Mercury's back as best as they could. He handed Zoisite the bottle of antiseptic, who proceeded to pour it generously over Mercury's back. The Senshi whimpered in sleep. Minako crouched at her head, soothing her gently, fingers brushing against her forehead, sweeping blue bangs out of the way.

He glanced at Zoisite's face and scowled slightly. Sweat glistened on the pale face and there were strain lines around focused green eyes. His movements were quick and methodical, but Kunzite knew better. He also knew better than to say anything and allowed Zoisite to finish dressing Mercury's back.

"You go rest, _now_."

The green eyes that met his flared briefly with defiance, but dimmed as pain overtook it. Still, he refused to move. Kunzite sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, alleviating the headache he could feel coming. It was a sign of the times. Back then they would have never disobeyed him, even if they disagreed and argued their point, they would have obeyed. It was different now, and their regiment had eroded into something he couldn't name.

Was it that they no longer had faith in him as their leader? Or maybe it was because they never had so much at stake. After all, the romance between each Shitennou and his Senshi had only just fully blossomed before it was destroyed, not enough time to erode the discipline that they'd learned all their lives. Now, two lifetimes later they were so much indebted to the Senshi, to all of civilization that the urge to act was something ill contained. Or perhaps it was a remnant of their time in the Dark Kingdom, as there each man was his own and no other. Such a simple thing for Zoisite to refuse. Nephrite had followed Jupiter without a second thought; and Jadeite…just where the hell was Jadeite anyway?

He looked up, his eyes narrowing as he searched the throne room, but even as his eyes roamed the ruined corners he knew the Shitennou would be nowhere here. Concern rose in him, but he sat silently. It wasn't time to worry. Jadeite wasn't maimed. He could handle himself. A nagging thought at the back of his mind told him that if Jadeite had just listened in the first place, he wouldn't have to worry. The man was fully capable of course and even surpassed Kunzite in some aspects. But with Rei's death he wasn't sure of the mental state of his friend. Jadeite could be exceedingly nasty if he wanted to be and right now he was concerned that Jadeite was out there, somewhere, just killing youma for the hell of it. Just to alleviate some of the pain he might be feeling. Kunzite just wasn't used to—didn't _know_ who his friends were yet. None of them could have gone through what they'd all gone through without changing. He himself had changed; he had never doubted himself so much before. The men he fought alongside now were no longer the same brothers he grown up. And he didn't have time to figure out who they were.

He shook his head. What did it matter anyway? They should all be out there fighting. And now with two of his Shitennou out there already he really should join them, regroup and go fight the Enemy. There was no strategy or tactics to consider, no advantage to be taken...except unless he could wake his prince. That was an advantage they could all use. No, he would wait for Endymion to awaken, wait for the power of the Golden Crystal to be on their side. Maybe even wait until the princess woke up and have both crystals to fight with. He would wait another hour for Jadeite and Nephrite before he went looking. He would wait because now was not the time to give into rash actions, because the world was at stake and he wouldn't fail if he could help it.

"Are you okay?"

He looked up into her face, so sad again after seeing her princess. He didn't speak but his gaze dropped to her arms and he sighed. "Go get the rest of the antiseptic, Minako, and the gauze."

She followed his eyes and smiled ruefully at her arms. "I'll be alright. We might need it for—."

"Please. We have more than enough." It must have been something in his voice, for she went without further comment and settled herself in front of him, arms out and ready. He proceeded to clean and disinfect her wounds, harder now that the blood had congealed and scabbed. But he broke them without a second thought, cleaning away the fresh blood and poured the antiseptic on. She winced but didn't say anything, tense until he finished wrapping up her arms.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him once he finished. She wiped away the tears of pain that had surfaced during his administrations.

He smiled, his lips curving up slightly. The leader of the Sailor Senshi, it seemed, was back.

"You look a bit beat yourself. You should go rest too. I'll wake you if anything changes." It might have been the suggestion in those sky blue eyes, but he felt very weary suddenly and he nodded. She smiled again, rising and patting his shoulder lightly. "Don't worry so much, Kunzite. Everything's going to be okay."

And as he lay back and closed his eyes, he suddenly, and inexplicably, believed her.

* * *

Pain. It didn't discriminate, it didn't sympathize. It just went on its merry way making your life miserable until you figured out some way to make it stop. Zoisite was in pain, his body was on the verge of total shutdown, and he hadn't done much to convince it not to. Despite this, he was as clear minded as he'd ever been. His life had a new purpose; a clear, direct, and dire purpose. Pain could take a hike.

He sat beside her in ever constant vigil. He knew he should eat something, eat a lot actually, or nap, to replenish the energy he'd used. But Jadeite didn't seem intent on coming back anytime soon and so it was all he could do, he was satisfied really, to just sit here and watch her. Her wound was mostly superficial. It had been a direct hit from a very close range, but the Sailor Senshi uniform was a wonderful thing and it might have been the very thing that saved her life. A second degree burn was nothing to a Senshi. The possible infection from the open blisters he'd already taken care of, now all that was left was waiting, for her to wake up, for her wound to heal.

His liege was more worrisome. Zoisite had examined him as soon as he could, but like Kunzite, there had been no visible signs of anything. The lack of signs was never a good thing; it left the conclusion open to too many possibilities. But the one sign he did have was that Endymion had regained the Golden Crystal, and so he was confident that his prince would be fine. If the bearer of a crystal wasn't outright slain in the first few moments, the crystal always managed to heal him. And even if the bearer were slain, crystals had that way of bringing one back to life. There had always been evidence to support it.

He could almost see the text now, could almost feel the age old document beneath his fingers from so many thousands of years ago. It had been one of his favorites, of history and lore dating as far back as the Creation of the first stars. He really missed his library. It had been one of the first things he'd destroyed during his stint in the Dark Kingdom. All of it had been irreplaceable, parts of Mercury's extensive databases, and Neptune's ancient manuscripts, even what had been permissible of Pluto's literally timeless chronicles—all of it lost and destroyed by none other than him. But perhaps that had been a blessing all the same. Who knew what would have happened if Beryl had gotten her hands on it?

A moan brought his attention to sharp focus and he smiled as her eyes slitted open. "Zoisite?" Her voice was full of rust.

"Welcome back."

Before he could stop her she began pushing up on her arms. "Have I been dreaming? Where's—," and fell back onto her chest with a whimper.

He tilted his head sideways to meet her hazy pained gaze. "You're in no condition to go anywhere okay? Endymion is right beside you, and Serenity is here too. Just rest, and get better. You're safe now." He reached out and brushed aside sweat soaked hair. She closed her eyes against his touch, sighing before she fell back into uneasy slumber.

Her forehead was too warm, and for a moment he wondered if modern medicines were any good at all. He pushed aside his doubts and focused on her face again.

"She'll be okay."

He glanced up at the leader of the Senshi and she knelt down beside him. Her eyes positively sparkled, a remarkable transition considering how broken she'd looked just an hour ago. The presence of her princess and the return of her friends had obviously done wonders.

"Nice to see you so up."

She made a face and shrugged. "I'm just really glad."

"How's the princess?" He inquired.

Some of the shine went out of her eyes, but her smile still remained. She glanced over at the glass coffin that still somehow floated gently in the air. "I'm afraid to open it. I don't know if she's alive, but I'm afraid that if she is, and I opened it…" Minako shrugged.

"We'll have to do it sooner or later," he commented. He had already studied the coffin, but its simple structure provided no clues. Its overall shape was a rectangular hexagon. The surface of the bottom half was smooth, made of a dark, unidentifiable material. The upper half was of clear glass, but where the two halves met the glass frosted over. It suggested preservation of the cryogenic kind, but it didn't tell him how severely the princess had been injured.

"She's not."

They turned to look at Ami. Her eyes were open again, sleep laced through dark blue, and she was very still.

"She's not alive," she repeated, and the blue misted over. She sniffled. "She was being preserved. They wanted to bring her back after they destroyed the world."

"For what?" Minako asked. The joy was gone from her, he saw, as though her small world had suddenly expanded to include reality again. He felt the same. He'd almost been relieved, content, that Ami had returned. He'd forgotten about the Enemy that still lurked out there, waiting for them to face once they'd recovered.

"I don't know. They seemed to admire her. They didn't want her to waste her potential on humans."

He nodded slowly. "They said the same as much to me."

"I guess it means we can't open it until we find a way to revive her," Minako said. Her eyes were teary now. In essence, her friend was dead. The princess was dead. He glanced over at his master, wondering if Endymion knew. Things had never gone well when Endymion grew angry, at least not in the past. His Mamoru persona had seemed very mellow and so Zoisite couldn't predict the outcome. _First things first is for him to just wake up_.

To the girls, he shrugged, unable to give a precise reply. He just didn't know. He hated not knowing.

"Where are we anyway?" Mercury asked.

He sighed. "The Dark Kingdom." He couldn't stop the bitterness that seeped into his smile. His eyes swept the room again. "Elysion at one time. Our home."

Minako smiled softly. "It was beautiful."

"Yes, it was," he gazed down at the floor. "You all loved it here, though I couldn't see why. It paled in comparison to the planets."

"Tell me about it. All of it." The request came from Mercury, surprisingly. He glanced at her, about to refuse. He didn't want such beautiful memories to intrude on his reality. But her eyes shone so brightly. Most of it was pain, he knew, but the plea was there. He sighed.

"Please?" Minako asked. Her face was hopeful.

"You forgot for a reason you know," he said absently. He considered silently for a moment. He struggled to summon decades of documented study into a few simple sentences. "Mercury was…Mercury was a nexus of learning, and what they learned, they created. Buildings defied logic, the result of the merging of the chaos theory and various degrees of tessellation. Mariner Castle was a geodesic sphere that floated in the sky, locked in place, never succumbing to the gravitational rotation that all dense bodies are subject to." He shook his head ruefully. "I never figured out how they did it. Exotic plant and animal life were the result of science and biogenetics. Nothing was taboo on Mercury so long as the "do not harm" line wasn't crossed. The fabled Chimera was one such creature that originated from Mercury. I don't know the details, but it's said that the only successful hybrid lived a mere six days before it failed. The gardens were pure mineral crystals, grown in fractal formation…" He smiled at the uncertain look on Minako's face, and then at the dreamy look on Mercury's.

"It sounds wonderful," she whispered.

_It was._ He continued on a different tack. "Venus was, in a word, gorgeous. And its people were as fair and as golden as the sun. Venusian cities were spread far and apart, for they disliked enclosed spaces. Magellan Castle itself was composed entirely of open hallways and ceilings. Ancient Greece was a poor imitation of the structures found on Venus, created by nobles who wanted a paradise for themselves on this Earth. Venusian artistry was unrivaled. Somehow the colors were so vivid and vibrant, something that held true for the environment. The grass was always truly greener there. And meander was always the word that came to my mind when I visited. The roads meandered, the rivers meandered, even the people." He smiled fondly. "It was a popular vacation place."

He went on and on, describing oceanic Neptune, how Titan Castle was of pure crystal and glass, upheld by sorcery of the strongest kind, amplified a thousand fold by the waters that churned beneath it. He told of a nearly wild Mars, its people so fierce, so alive with passion and temptation that it took the strong will of a princess to keep them from interplanetary disaster. He remembered Jupiter, its ever shifting structures, its ecosystem so similar Earth, yet on his first visit he'd been completely floored by the weight on his shoulders. Then there was beautiful Saturn, whose darkness was always lit with a mysterious light source somewhere within that he'd never found. Uranus he'd only admired from afar, for no visitors were ever allowed. Finally there was Pluto, little more than an asteroid, with no cities, and no people. He had never been there.

And when the girls had finally fallen asleep, undoubtedly to beautiful dreams of planets that were no more, he spoke of the destruction of an empire. "We attacked on two main fronts," he said softly, "the larger force was directed towards the Moon Palace. It drew away most of the support from the other planets, where we then divided and conquered each planet." He fell silent. "Mercury fell first. I alone knew how isolated its citizens were, lost in their own research. I alone, knew which invention to trigger to cause the cataclysmic end of a technologically advanced planet. Mars fell next. All Jadeite had to do was turn them against each other, against their princess. And he attacked in their weakness. It was so easy; it shouldn't have been so easy! But it was." He smiled bitterly. "Venus was the most tragic of all, for they loved, and didn't fight as their beloved cities went up in flames. They died believing Venus and her soldiers would come back to save them. Jupiter," he laughed, an angry anguished sound, "was bombarded from orbit, its atmosphere turned to flame and poison. Survival was calculated at less than 1%." He reached out and brushed aside Mercury's hair gently. His voice dropped even lower. "We left the outer planets when reports came in that you were doing so much damage. You were so tired then. We never would have had a chance otherwise." Zoisite exhaled unsteadily and wiped the wetness from his eyes. "Would you forgive so readily if you knew what we'd done?"

Her sleeping face offered no answers.


	15. i am a sailor senshi

**i am a sailor senshi**

* * *

"Hey! Wake up!"

Sailor Mars felt sick. Her senses were heady with the smell, the taste, and the overall foul presence of evil. The hands shaking her, though gentle, did not help in matters. She opened her eyes and Anna's face swam into her vision. The woman was the only thing though. Behind her, the darkness stretched endlessly. Anna let go of her as soon as she saw her companion awake.

"Are we dead?" The woman's voice was fearful, but she had no reassurances for her. Because though they weren't dead at the moment, she didn't doubt that they were going to be soon. Sailor Mars shook her head anyway, and the relief spread across Anna's face.

She looked around, confirming to herself that they were indeed in some kind of dimensional void. It didn't seem as though there was any immediate danger, despite the feeling of being totally surrounded. Jupiter and Nephrite were missing though, and she didn't know whether to hope that they'd escaped, or worry that they'd all been separated.

"C'mon." She told Anna, climbing to her feet. "Let's try to find a way out of here."

* * *

Sometime later, they still wandered the darkness. She was growing increasingly uneasy. The feeling of being watched had multiplied with every step and she was certain now that the darkness they resided in was in fact conscious in some way. Even more so she was certain that it intended ill will. Anna had admitted, when they'd begun walking, to a fear of darkness. She hadn't stopped chatter since. She now knew more about this woman than she ever wanted to.

"So, are you supposed to be a super hero or something? I mean, I thought you were a stripper when I first saw you, cause of the way you dressed, but then you did that thing, and your friends did their thing and it was just...strippers don't do that you know? My father used to tell me stories of whore street—I think it was his way of warning me to stay away. And some of the girls down there, they kinda dress like you. My father honestly didn't know where it came from—"

"Okay," Mars said, her decision suddenly made, willing to try anything to stop the voice in her ear that somehow made everything just so much worse. She knew better though, Anna's fear of the dark was probably more of a phobia, judging by the way the woman's grip on her arm had never loosened. "We're getting out of here." She glanced around her once again, but met once again with darkness. She looked at her companion. "Don't let go. Just in case, okay?"

Anna nodded, her eyes wide.

Her feet spread apart for stability and her hands clapped together in familiar formation. "FLAME SNIPER!" She drew the string of the fiery bow and released, the fingers on her arm not hindering her in the least. Her arrow flew straight and true and pierced the darkness several yards ahead of them. But just as quickly it evaporated. Laughter rang all around them, building in volume until they could hardly stand it.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Anna yelled, clapping her hands over her ears, her face twisting in panic.

She winced at the grating sound, but didn't do anything to block it out. Instead she focused internally; trying to find a source she could strike to end it all. Fear crept onto the edges of her consciousness.

"_IT'S NO USE SAILOR MARS! YOU BELONG TO US NOW!_"

Her eyes darted every which way, but it was just more darkness. What was she to do? And then Anna screamed, and instinctively she reached sideways for the woman, but even as her head turned, her hand closed around air. Anna was gone.

Silence fell, and she whirled, her eyes searching. But Anna was gone.

"Dammit!" The curse word exploded from her mouth uncontrollably. She hated being toyed with, and she was afraid for Anna. She didn't move from where she stood, ready to attack. Her head turned this way and that, but her vision registered nothing out of the darkness. Her senses were vibrating with alarm, but she could do nothing.

"_Help_!" The cry was followed by a scream, high pitched and torturous.

The voice echoed from somewhere, and she felt tears in her eyes as she recognized it as Anna. Her hands clenched into fists, but she did nothing. She could do nothing.

"Come out you coward! Let her go!" Her own voice rang hollowly in the void, echoing back at her. But there was no reply.

She tried a different tack. "Take me instead!"

Her teeth ground angrily as she still received no reply. She glared into the darkness. "Alright! Have it your way!"

"AKURYO TAISAN!"

"FIRE SOUL BIRD!"

"BURNING MANDALA!"

"SNAKE FIRE!"

"FLAME SNIPER!"

"DAZZLING FLAME BARRAGE!"

As the last of her attacks faded into darkness, no more breaching than before, she took a deep breath and straightened. She was feeling slightly winded from using so many attacks in so short a time. But it wasn't like it had been effective anyway. She still wasn't any closer to getting out no matter which direction she had fired, and she still hadn't heard from Anna. The enemy was simply not going to let her go.

"MARS INFERNAL HOLOCAUST!"

The pillar extended above her again and for a minute she felt safe. Too soon it dispersed and to no avail. She wanted to cry. The darkness seemed to close in around her hungrily, sensing her despair, trying to dig under her skin and devour her soul, swallowing it into the darkness. She would never get out of here.

"_Hey_."

She jumped, startled, whirling to meet the person whose hand had landed on her shoulder. It was Anna, but it wasn't. She knew it wasn't, could feel that it wasn't. If the pale face was any indication that it wasn't, then she would take it too. This was not Anna Komoda, twenty-one year old survivor of a youma invasion.

"You can't trick me that way," she said, backing away slowly, fists balled, readying herself for confrontation.

Anna stared at her for a moment, and then a smile broke out on her face. "_So, you possess more than we originally thought_."

"Who are you and what do you want?" she demanded angrily. "What have you done with her?"

"_We have done nothing to her, for she is a part of us now and we are one. Won't you join us too?_" Anna reached for her, her arms outstretched and ready to embrace, her face calm and serene and nearly very happy if not for the slight hunger she detected. _"It's so easy to manipulate your kind. And in fact, it's your kind that we thrive on. Your twisted hate, anger, jealousy. Anger breeds chaos don't you know? And what you call the seven cardinal sins, merely things that breed guilt and inner turmoil. There is no god, just us. We are gods. We are Chaos. Submit to us Sailor Mars. Your Guardians were weak and your planets are dead. What do you fight for? Your friends had abandoned you for dead, and now, in this place they don't even seek to rescue you. They are merely biding their time in one another's comfort._" Behind Anna she could suddenly see Jupiter and Nephrite, sitting beside one another, chatting happily, Jupiter laughing in delight at something.

She opened her mouth to call to them, but they vanished. She glared at Anna. "I don't care what you say. Release the girl now!"

"_Or you'll do what_?" Anna said, her smile vicious. "_Your powers are of no use here, you should know, you've already tried. You only feed us, and our desire to consume you grows with every attack._"

She had no reply, and she had no options left. She stopped backing away and stood rigidly, her chin raised in defiance as she stared at the woman in front of her. Her heart broke for the sweet face that she had failed to save. "Do your worst then, I am the Senshi of Mars. I do not fear you."

Anna stepped closer to her, her face upturned, "_not yet_." And the laughter started again as Anna dissolved, like wind-swept sand. She stood calmly through out it all, her heart pounding with anticipation and fear. Her thoughts circled to her friends, her grandfather, and surprisingly, the Shitennou. She would not give in. Their faces gave her courage.

She smiled when the first blow struck.

_She was eight. Her father…where was he going? _

_"Daddy!"_

_Child legs carried her towards the limo, its windows dark and silent Her hands hit the gleaming car, but it was gone and she was left staring down the driveway as her father left her, her mother's funeral hardly even over. The gates closed. She wiped her tears away angrily. Her fists clenched in anger and she turned and went back inside the house._

"You'll have to do better than that!" She yelled, her cut lip gushing blood. "I could care less about him!"

Unseen claws struck her from behind and she stumbled forward, whirling to face whatever came. She could feel the blood oozing down her back. It's warmth taking the sting away from several smaller cuts.

The image of her father as she remembered from almost a decade ago appeared, his body decaying and bloated by death. His lips moved, calling her name, her mother's name. His exposed fingers reached for her, wanting to embrace her. She recoiled and struck him. He sank into darkness.

_Warm fingers gently untangling her hair. The soft smell of Casablancas on warm skin. Her mother's face smiled down at her, tired and sad._

Tears streamed down her face. "She's been dead for years! You can't use her like that!"

Another figure took her place—this time the short, yet sturdy figure of her grandfather. His body was charred, burned almost beyond recognition. "_I died for nothing, granddaughter. You failed, just like I thought you would." _The tears blurred the image and she firmed her resolve. They couldn't get him where he was. He was beyond their reach. She pushed the old man and he too dissolved into darkness. "He loves me! Nothing you do will change that!" She screamed angrily at Chaos.

She was suddenly thrown backwards, landing on a rough surface, though when she opened her eyes it was still dark. She scrambled to her feet, her body screaming, her wounds stinging. Her eyes met nothing.

_She was…older. And they were running, her hand clasped tightly in his. He turned back to her and she could only see his loving smile. His blonde hair gleamed in the sunlight, carefree just like the sound of his laughter. They stopped beneath the shade of a tree and he pulled her close to him and she gazed up into his eyes, her love for this man filling her with warmth._

_And Jadeite kissed her._

The dam of memories, held so meticulously by the remnants of Queen Selenity's will shattered in an instant. The memories swept through her, invading her senses and defenses leaving her open to the hungry darkness.

"No!" She cried brokenly.

Multitudes of laughter rang out again. "_WE HAVE YOU NOW, SENSHI!"_

* * *

The blade slid with a softly satisfied hiss as Jadeite pulled it free of the youma on the ground. He continued walking, not bothering to clean it for he knew he would use it again. He wasn't looking for trouble; it just seemed to find him. A lazy smirk slid across his face and faded. It had been a long time since he could revel in the joy of battle without the machinations of dark forces working within his brain. His precise knowledge of his limits streamlined his fighting abilities to a level of a clarity he enjoyed immensely. It wasn't as if the things he sought were urgent anyway, that he had made sure to leave to Kunzite. Kunzite had had no choice really, only he knew what they needed aside from Zoisite. Food and clothes could wait a little longer.

The only thing was—the youma didn't seem to want to cooperate with him now. The dozen he'd run into were nothing compared to the hordes days before. Just where had they all gone? At this rate he would get to a suitable store in no time and have to return. Idleness wasn't something he could handle very well. And there really was nothing to be done. Endymion and Serenity had returned and neither of them looked as though they would wake any time soon and wake they had to if they had any chance of winning this battle.

His head still hurt, and his reaction was a little off, but really, youma had never been considerably threatening. If he _did_ run into serious trouble he knew he could always teleport back. Simple.

And then he stopped short. The scene before him was that of devastation. A battle had occurred here, and from the way some of the cement still smoldered he figured it was fairly recent. A doorway of darkness pulsed wildly in the center of it all.

He felt the blood draining from his face as Rei, in her Sailor Mars incarnation, suddenly came through it.

Darkness spread across alabaster skin in tendrils of inky black, almost like her hair had burrowed under the skin and lingered there like a living breathing thing. The patterns shifted hypnotically and he found he was hard pressed to draw his gaze away. Her uniform was in tatters, the bodice shredded enough so that it exposed much of her stomach and barely covered her breasts, her already too short skirt was split in several places to reveal generous portions of thigh. She was barefoot but her feet didn't touch the ground. Her hair hung wildly suspended in shiny silk strands, waving gently outwards as though underwater, to connect to the doorway.

His head fell back; his eyes searched the sky unseeingly. He felt hysterical laughter rise in his throat in a fit of bitter irony. He swallowed it, his mouth curved into its all too familiar smirk and his eyes fell to meet hers eagerly. There was no way he could back out of this one.

"Sailor Mars, you're looking lovelier than ever I see," he greeted evenly.

"Jadeite," her voice, surprisingly, was still the same, and for a minute he could almost believe that despite her appearance and the dark aura that oozed off of her, she was Sailor Mars and Rei, his one eternal love. "I sense the darkness in you Jadeite. Different from when we last met." Her eyes flashed violet and a smile curved on her small mouth. She drifted closer, but halted when he raised his blade. "What are you doing?" The confusion in her voice was sincere; it was the predatory gleam in her eyes that was not.

"I think you know. I'm not that stupid."

Her lips curved into a pout. "You were never any fun. Do you really think that's of any use against me? I am a Sailor Senshi."

"I highly doubt Mars would allow His gift to be used like that. You may wear the costume, love, but you're nothing inside." His mouth twisted with satisfaction at the look of outrage on her face.

But then she shrugged indifferently. "Maybe, maybe not. We'll find out won't we?" A vicious smile formed on her face, his only warning.

"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

His blade was up and ready to deflect, but instead Mars dropped to the ground, writhing in pain and shrieking in agony. He moved for her, vaulting over the rubble, pushing his rising horror away as his sword moved to plunge into her and end her pain. But just as the length of steel reached her she reached out and grabbed the blade. A flick of her wrist and it was snapped in an instant. The pieces dropped the ground. He never stopped, summoning another blade and swung. But her form flickered and disappeared and he was left slashing at air. He turned, eyes searching.

He only had an instant to detect it before arms slid around his torso, embracing him from behind. He stiffened.

"Just like old times, right lover?" Her breath on his ear sent chills down his spine.

"Quite," he replied through clenched teeth. He forced himself to relax.

"I remember, Jadeite," her voice was sad, "I remember _everything_." Her head rested on his shoulder.

He suddenly forgot to breath, swallowing the traitorous guilt that surfaced in his throat. His grip tightened automatically on frail wrists as his eyes darted about the lovingly tended garden that remained so ingrained into his mind. The sweet smell of Casablanca Lilies wafted lazily over his nose, inflaming his ever present memories of soft skin and silky-smooth hair. His jaw tightened angrily.

He wrenched free from her grip and backed away steadily, his eyes never leaving her as she rose into the air again, laughing. The sound grated on his ears.

"What's wrong, lover? Have you forgotten so soon?" She sneered at him. "Mars could no more reclaim this body than he could protect it before. He is weak against the power of Chaos, just as his chosen Senshi was weak! I have no need of either."

Chaos was not a name he'd ever heard before. But to subvert Sailor Mars and possess her, a woman who could be as stubborn and as pigheaded as anyone he ever knew, and he doubted she would be different this life as Rei, well, it was some accomplishment. But it was fine. He wasn't dealing with Sailor Mars. She could have handed him his ass three times out of five in a physical fight, and only if he wasn't trying his damned hardest. She had always been the emotionally weaker of the two of them. This Chaos would not catch him that way. He already personally knew each and every one of his demons.

He faked a yawn, glancing around him with an air of disinterest. "Are you going to talk all day? 'Cause I'm going to find something better to do."

"How dare you!"

He caught her hands as she attacked him, her momentum knocking them both to the ground. She didn't struggle at all as he flipped and pinned her to the ground. Dark eyes framed by dark lashes stared up at him, suddenly calm again and a bit sad. "I _know_ what you did. And I'm willing to forgive you if you'll just come with me. I _need_ you Jadeite. I've _missed_ you and I want you by my side."

Those eyes. He could never resist those eyes. Their relationship had always been so beautiful, so dynamic—full of conquest and challenge and passion. No, he could have never resisted those eyes, but had always loved to torment himself trying. It wouldn't be so different now. Jadeite was drowning. He smirked. "What are you—manic depressive? How about I just kill you and we'll call it even?"

"Again, Jadeite? Will you kill me again? Is your conscience so hard that you would kill me twice with no remorse?" At his slight smile, her eyes narrowed. "Fine, have it your way!"

Fingers suddenly somehow clamped around his wrists in a crushing grasp, pulling him off easily and throwing him over. He impacted with a tree, his sleeve shredded and his shoulder a mass of splintered pain. He only had time to shake his head free of the leaves and headache he'd gained when he sensed a mass of dark energy flying towards him and he rolled out of the way.

He leapt to his feet and pulled his own power forward. "What are you trying to do, Mars? Kill me?" He yelled flippantly, searching for her amongst the dew kissed flora.

"Precisely, my love."

He turned. He pulled.

"RIPTIDE CHASM!"

The world went silent, his attack slammed into her, and her attack slammed into him. They both flew backwards. The ground exploded from the sheer force of impact. He fought to stay conscious, his brain suddenly and acutely in pain. He struggled to his feet, his blade automatically out and ready again. He blinked against the steady trickle of blood down the left side of his face.

"Sailor Mars? Come out and play, gorgeous! You know how lonely I get without you!" He called out, his eyes focused straight ahead to where he perceived she would be. Sure enough, the field of flowers parted and she floated up in the air again. He'd done damage at least. She bled from several places. The problem was that he bled from more. He stopped, shuddering at the utter look of misery in her dark eyes. So like her, yet so not her. He took a few involuntary steps back.

"It was you, Jadeite," her voice was soft, wounded. Her eyes now shimmered with pain. The darkness faded from her skin and her feet touched the soft grass. "It was because of you, because of my love for you that everyone died. That Serenity abandoned me—that she refused to bring me back again. You, you did all of this."

He was no fool. The dark aura that had surrounded her was still faintly there. But his heart ached fiercely and almost unwillingly—and completely against his better judgment—he relented. "What is it you want from me?"

She walked closer, and he made no move to stop her, only gazed steadily in her eyes, so like the ones that she had possessed right before she had died in their first life. Her hands reached out and cupped his face, and she stared searchingly at him. He shivered. Could he really face this demon? "I only want you," she whispered, and kissed him hungrily. The pain in his head intensified, he felt his body go weak almost instantly, felt the tears come, and then it was over.

She jerked away, shock written on her face before it twisted into something angry and unrecognizable. His blade protruded at an upward angle, piercing her heart. He could feel a surge of horrible doubt, that somehow, they were really back on the moon again, and that somehow, he'd managed to kill her again and that all the things he saw and felt from her were somehow just twisted interpretations from his own possessed mind.

"You think you can kill me with something so mundane?" She hissed. Her small hands gripped the hilt and pulled it out of her. "I am not the pathetic little Senshi you killed in the Silver Millennium!" The illusion surrounding them shattered and he was back in the battered street as Jadeite, one of four Shitennou, fighting an evil Sailor Mars. She hurled the blade at him.

"You're not a Senshi at all!" He yelled, ducking to one side. "And you think you can pull off being Sailor Mars? Think again!" He pulled from within, readying another attack, bright blue light pooling in his hand. He dodged just in time as a ball of darkness flew where his head had been.

"It was you!" She shrieked. Her glowing fingers clawed at the air in front of her, as though she imagined his face right there within her grasp. Her voice fractured and broke into several different octaves. "_IT WAS YOU! YOU BETRAYED ME! YOU KILLED ME! KILLED _ALL_ THAT I EVER LOVED! YOU!_"

Jadeite ran for his life, barely avoiding the raw blasts of power as they missed him, close enough for him to feel the heat on his skin. He had no time to retaliate, no time to defend. He could only run. And just as he finally managed to get behind the cover of a tree, his cover exploded, and a pure throbbing mass of darkness sent him crashing backwards.

This time he lay at the base of the tree, too stunned by impact to move, his brain a muddled mess, but one thought clearly jumping out at him. _I hate trees._

She was suddenly there in front of him, her face close and smiling gently. The earth was suddenly shining gently in the starry night sky behind her. "_Goodbye, my Jadeite,_" he heard her say. He had a sudden delirious thought that maybe, just maybe, this was how it was supposed to be. That he was the one who was supposed to have died in that garden. _This_ garden. He felt the darkness gather, right over where his heart beat laboriously. Blood trickled slowly into his eyes, obscuring her in a red haze. "_You could never beat me in tactics, love._"

"I love you, Mars," he said suddenly, "and I forgive you." He reached to embrace her, pulling her down close to him, whispering final words. She shrieked as his power invaded her, but a darker power flared to life, fighting him back, and as Jadeite died, his power dissipated, leaving behind only darkness.

* * *

"And I _never_ should have listened to either of you!"

Nephrite watched her pace the darkness relentlessly, anger making her eyes spark dangerously. He'd long ceased to be angry. They'd been stuck here for awhile, and after the initial attempt to teleport out and then actually search for their way out, had decided to rest before trying again. Running in total darkness, unable to see but for each other, had a way of wearing at one's sanity. Her anger had never ceased. But he understood what they had lost. Her friends were probably either dead or gone by now. Who knew what had happened to Sailor Mars. And Anna, she had been a real live representation of what they were fighting for and they had just failed them all. All those people in the sewer, he didn't know what would happen to them now.

Sailor Jupiter finally plopped down beside him, sighing irritably before lapsing into silence.

"Feel better?" He asked mildly.

She spared him a glare before staring gloomily into the distance. "How can you be so calm?"

He shrugged. "I can't afford to be angry. My anger brings consequences."

"How so?"

He mulled silently for a moment, but then shrugged. There was no harm in telling her. It wasn't something that haunted him.

"When I was younger, I was angry all the time, at anything, at everything, at anyone. And I didn't even know why. My anger manifested itself predictably enough, but it was still destructive. Only Endymion and my Shitennou brothers stuck by me and forced me to channel that rage into something…useable. Our Teachers said I had so much raw power that it was hard to contain. So I worked at meditating and containing my anger, in hopes that I could contain my power. Out of all of us, I'm the most magically talented; I don't need the verbal spells. But I'm also the least strategical, and definitely the worst tactical. Those fields of expertise belong to Jadeite and Kunzite. I always lose my control eventually in battle, or even any emotionally charged situation. It's just so hard to think." He sighed. "Jadeite is most comfortable lurking in shadows. Kunzite's the leader. And Zoisite's the resident baby and genius. I…meditate."

"Must have been a difficult childhood," she commented, finally turning to look at him. The anger in her eyes had faded, curiosity brightening the green in her eyes.

Her head tilted at him in a painfully familiar way. He swallowed and smiled. "It was actually kind of fun, having your brothers be your target practice."

They fell silent.

"So when did I come into the picture?"

He nearly stopped breathing. But then he remembered Kunzite's "old friends" explanation to the Senshi. She didn't know. She couldn't possibly know. Exhaling slowly he turned to look at her again.

"Much later. It was at the height of the rising tensions between the Earth and the Silver Alliance. I don't even know how Serenity and Endymion met, not with all the planets pulling their people off the Earth like it was disease-ridden. Jadeite thinks she decided to sneak down after she heard that the gates were permanently closing. The noble families had hounded Endymion that day and he expressly forbade us to follow him. It was after that, that he started disappearing on a regular basis. And it wasn't until Kunzite followed him some weeks later that we found out he'd been secretly meeting with her for some time."

He paused, fascinated at the faraway look in her eyes and the slight smile on her face.

She glanced at him, flushing slightly, but still smiling. "What? It's just—we don't remember any of it, and it's just like her to do something so bullheaded."

"Eventually you all came with her. And we hated each other so much that we were ordered to get along otherwise we wouldn't be allowed to follow."

"Yea, that's them alright." She suddenly stood and stared around, a new gleam of determination in her eyes. "I don't care if we're dead or not! I got out of here once, I'm getting out again."

He stood with her. "Dead? What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. I ended up in a place like this when I died." She was suddenly subdued again. "Even if we can't help anymore I'm damn well not gonna sit here while my friends are out there."

Nephrite peered at the darkness surrounding them. Dead? It couldn't be. It had never occurred to him in all this time. "I don't think we're dead, Jupiter. I can feel my heart still beating. And I don't know what else constitutes dead, but I know my mind very well and I'm pretty sure that I'm not dead."

"Yea," she agreed, surprise and then relief on her face. "I guess you're right. I couldn't feel it last time. I hope you're right. Let's get going anyway. There's got to be some way out of this goddamn place then. Do you think we might have destroyed the only way out?"

He winced. "Let's not think like that."

They walked in amicable silence for a while.

"So you never explained to me." Sailor Jupiter said. "The part about how I came into your life, and how we were…lovers. Am I right I mean? If I'm not that's okay too. But I just thought—what is it?"

He had completely stopped walking, and his gaze had dropped to her feet. "So you do know." His voice was low. How did she know? Was it another one of those things revealed to you after you died? But she said she hadn't remembered the past. How did she know? "How do you know?"

Gloved fingers touched his face gently and brought his gaze to meet hers. She smiled softly. "I know, okay? What does it matter? It's the past. What's done is done isn't it? I can't hate you if I don't remember what you did. And I know this is the real you, not the you I fought those years ago. The General from the Negaverse. This is the Nephrite I see standing before me, who fights nobly alongside his friends and brothers, who loves his prince, who saved me so many nights ago, twice."

He jerked his chin from her grip and stared past her shoulder angrily. "You don't know what you're talking about Jupiter. You don't know what I did."

"You killed me, right? In the Silver Millenium. All of you did. They killed my sisters and you killed me."

He closed his eyes and opened them to glare at her. "How do you know all of this? How? And if you do, why are you asking me?" He turned away from her. Why was she doing this? What did she want from him? She had always been so direct. Nephrite hated her. It hadn't been his fault! It hadn't! _But it was_. The traitorous voice inside him showed him the images, lest he ever forget. He pinched the bridge of his nose to forestall the tears threatening behind his eyelids.

"I really don't know. I've heard here and there, the things that happened. But I really don't know anything. And if it's too painful for you, then I'm sorry. Forget I asked."

She fell silent and he continued to silently count until he was calm again. He'd thought at the beginning of all this, that perhaps once it was over, he'd go back to wherever he belonged. He'd have never had to face her with all his sins. But now, he'd ceased to ask questions about afterlives, since even in death did their duty never end. There was no heaven, there was no hell, only Endymion, and the eternal duty set before them when they first took their vows. He knew that now. Here was proof standing beside him, for the Senshi paralleled their existence. Death, rebirth, duty. The Senshi to their princess. The Shitennou to their prince. All of them to the people on this Earth. But it was more than that too, because he also owed this woman more than he could ever hope to give back, or even could give back. His hand dropped to his side and he turned back to her. He sighed. She shouldn't be apologetic at all, he knew that. He owed her an explanation. It was only her right to know. He opened his mouth to tell her.

"_Hey! You guys!_"

Startled, he turned towards the sound of the vaguely familiar voice.

"It's Anna!" Sailor Jupiter recognized.

The woman ran towards them and they ran to her, but as they neared he slowed to halt, grabbing Jupiter's arm as she passed him.

"What are you doing?" She stared back at him, but didn't resist the tight grip on her arm.

He didn't notice. The air around him was suddenly so thick, almost tangible with a pervading taste of sourness. Something was horribly wrong. He summoned his sword.

"Nephrite, what's wrong?" Her voice was concerned now, and he turned back to her, stared past her towards Anna.

The woman was slowing to a jog as she neared them. "_I'm glad I found you! I've been so afraid!_"

"Shut up," he snapped at her. "I don't know who you are, but you can't trick us that way. Using Sailor Mars might have been more effective, we hardly know this girl."

"_What are you talking about?_" Her eyes were wide and fearful. "_Please, just get me out of here and I don't care if you don't know me!_"

"Nephrite…"

He looked at Sailor Jupiter. "Trust me."

She hesitated momentarily and then nodded. They began backing away from the woman. His sword was angled in front of them, a steel barrier against her.

"_No! What are you doing? Where are you going? Please don't leave me alone!_" Anna lunged for them, the whites of her eyes vividly wild and desperate. He pulled Jupiter to one side and they watched as she went past. A phantom wind suddenly sprung up from nowhere, howling around them. He could have sworn he heard laughter mixed in with it. His grip tightened on the Senshi's arm.

"What's going on Nephrite?" She shouted, her eyes narrowed and watering.

He could only look back helplessly. "I don't know! Something bad!"

A shriek made them look towards Anna again. "_YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! HELP ME! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!_" She shrieked again, a sound that sent a shiver down his back before she suddenly dissolved, leaving him more than slightly worried. Sailor Jupiter looked at him again wide eyed despite the wind.

"Don't let go!" He shouted to her, and she nodded. His grip on her arm dropped down to her hand. The pressure of her fingers threaded through his comforted him.

"Should we attack?" She yelled, and at that, the wind died down.

"_What seems to be the problem here?_"

They turned towards the voice. Sailor Jupiter's grip on his hand tightened. It was obvious that Sailor Mars had been through hell. Her uniform was in complete shreds and her body covered in several oozing wounds. It was also equally obvious that it wasn't Sailor Mars, if the distortion of her voice was any indication. Her eyes were the same emptiness surrounding them and her lips stretched into a terrible smile.

"What's going on Rei?" Sailor Jupiter asked softly. There was no compassion in her voice.

"_Nothing at all. I'm here to…relieve you. I had a slight problem to take care of, but he's dead now._" Those blank eyes focused on him, those lips warping into another leer. He felt sick.

"Jadeite," he said almost under his breath. She couldn't be talking about anyone else, he knew it. He couldn't explain it, but in his gut there couldn't be anyone else that brought such satisfaction to her face. "What have you done to him!"

"_Why Nephrite, what makes you think it was him? You have other brothers too, you know. I could have easily taken out any of them._"

He snorted. "While that statement is most questionable, I'll ask you again, what have you done to him? Where is he?" The word dead rang around in his skull and he swallowed the knot of dread that had begun rising in his throat.

"_Don't worry, you'll be seeing him soon._" The promise was there in her eyes and as her hand suddenly exploded in dark flame, blending into the darkness surrounding them. He looked at Sailor Jupiter.

"Can you do this?" He asked her. She nodded tightly, her emerald eyes murky with rage. He let go.

The wind sprang up again, almost instantly and he squinted against it to see her. Light pooled in his free hand, but it did nothing to illuminate the darkness, instead he could suddenly feel himself being drained. He extinguished his power.

"Dammit we can't use attacks here! We'll be devoured!" He yelled at Jupiter. Her eyes widened a bit, but she had no time to reply, for Sailor Mars was suddenly there. Sailor Jupiter went flying from a kick to the face, but Nephrite didn't have time to see where she landed, he brought his sword up to parry with—nothing! Confusion streaked across his brain, Sailor Mars laughed at him, her grip on emptiness twisting and suddenly there were sparks. He understood, and it wasn't comforting.

"_This is my domain, now, Nephrite. You have no chance!_" And it seemed like he didn't, for wherever he thought her sword to be, it managed to be in a different place to catch him and slowly he found himself being forced back. His blood burned where the darkness managed to cut him.

"Take this, bitch!"

And his vision was suddenly of just Sailor Jupiter, as it was this time Sailor Mars who reeled from the kick to the face. He smiled at her briefly and they charged after Mars. They caught her as she caught herself from falling, but in no means did it mean she was off guard. Her blade was still something of an advantage, one they were hard pressed to overcome and he could feel his anger mounting each time it struck Jupiter's skin. They fought desperately, uniformly, almost like old times, but when Jupiter went flying a second time, this time with a gash on her forehead, he let loose.

His attack hit her dead on, enveloping her and burning her up. He fought for focus over the dizziness that had enveloped his brain as soon as he'd accessed his power. Laughter began, echoing from all around him, the wind carrying it so closely past his ears.

"_MORE! MORE!_"

The voice came from nowhere and was everywhere, a plentitude of voices that belonged to no one thing and reminded him of insanely starved children begging for treats, their mouths drooling and their tiny fingers grasping. He was afraid. He ran over to help Jupiter up as Mars stepped out of the flames, completely unscathed.

"What do we do?" Jupiter asked him groggily, a hand to her forehead to stop the blood. "Nothing seems to work!"

"We just have to try," he said, shrugging helplessly. He didn't know what to do either, and Sailor Mars seemed to be the only tangible obstacle in this hellhole that they had even a chance of defeating, but she seemed unfazed by his attack.

"How good is your aim?" He asked urgently, watching as Sailor Mars grew ever closer.

Her eyes widened and then turned to her friend. "Good enough!" She answered, new fight entering her face.

"Alright! When I fire, you fire!" Hopefully the combined attack would be enough.

She nodded, and he left her, running for the dark Senshi. He feinted in her direction, enough to force her to block and then maneuvered past her. But as he jabbed at her, she flickered, fading into the darkness, and suddenly she was engaged with Jupiter.

"Dammit!" He went after the women, and then froze, for suddenly Mars had a very surprised Jupiter by the neck, and though he could see the green Senshi straining, her fingers digging into the slender hand that gripped her throat, she was forced to the ground.

Sailor Mars flashed him a smile, not in the least inconvenienced by the Senshi she held on her knees. "_What was_ _the plan again? Are you going to attack now? Come Nephrite, your beloved doesn't have long to live._"

He was frozen by indecision, watched as Jupiter gave up trying to pry her captor's fingers away and punched the vulnerable side that was exposed to her. But Mars' grip never faltered. He wouldn't make it there; his attack wouldn't make it there, before Mars snapped her neck. He knew this for certain. But he had to try didn't he? He ran for them, his sword out, the wellspring of energy inside him bursting forth from his free hand, aimed at Mars' feet. He fought the sudden drain on his body. His eyes focused solely on Jupiter's face, the fingers on her neck. But he never made it.

Those pink lips moved, hardly a whisper, and nothing he could hear. Her hands moved in accordance, and bright green light filled the darkness. Suddenly Sailor Mars flew back, wave after wave of green light, like the embodiment of an echo, slamming into her and pushing her further away from them. The light dissipated just as he reached her, her body limp, her face unresponsive to his pleas. Her neck was a mess, bleeding from the gouges that razor sharp fingernails had scored. Thoughts dissipated. He could feel the dormant power inside him waking up, responding to his anger, his grief, his pain. The darkness lit with a dazzling ruby red light. He held her close, sobbed her name once, and let it all go.


	16. the outer senshi

**the outer senshi**

* * *

She was always stuck here.

The Daughter of Time.

The Guardian of the Gates.

She was always so helpless, bound by the laws that made her.

But this was how it was. This was the crossroads to only one of two futures, Crystal Millennium, or the end of the world. It was not her destiny to be one of those who helped win or lose this fight. She could not risk interfering and ruining it all. She couldn't.

It was hard to watch the Senshi struggle, hard to fight the instinct to act. Whether they lived or died, she would still remain in this place, where eternity, the past, present and future, compounded into single time and space.

"We're doing well don't you think?"

Pluto looked sideways. She couldn't help but flinch. She didn't think she would ever get used to the sight of her beloved Princess so transparent. "I hardly think that the capture of Mars, Jupiter and Nephrite were part of the plan. It's uncertain if they've even survived," she said wryly. "Not to mention, the other Senshi haven't regained their powers yet and are unlikely to seeing that you're so exhausted by the effort of the first three. And two were dead, which made things marginally easier in your present form, and so essentially, the three Senshi in action are most assuredly out now."

Serenity's eyes were downcast for a moment, but there was hope in her eyes when she raised them. "They'll pull through Pluto. Mamo-chan's got the crystal back. Saturn's going to Awaken all on her own soon so we'll have another Senshi. Mercury _will_ get better. Jupiter and Mars _will_ pull through."

"It's hardly ever comforting to have the Senshi of Silence awake, Princess," Pluto murmured, but Serenity only smiled.

"You always say that Setsuna. Saturn loves us all. She won't give up so easily."

Sailor Pluto smiled faintly in agreement. She glanced at her princess again.

"How are you?"

Serenity shrugged carelessly, "I'll manage. They've got my body now. It's only a matter of time." Her hand reached up to touch the frames holding the Past. An image of Eternal Sailor Moon was frozen there, her face full of fear and uncertainty. "Have you found it yet?"

Pluto shook her head. "You're inside the Cauldron. I'm getting close."

"I see. I'm sorry for interrupting then."

Pluto eyed her for a moment, wondering at the slightly haunted expression on her Princess' face, and then turned back to the portals in front of her. One in particular remained blank, full of static and space. "It concerns me," she said mildly, "that the Future is still so uncertain."

"There's nothing we can do. Chaos is the problem. We need to know what it did. We need to know what happened inside the Cauldron…" Concern was etched across Serenity's face now. "I'm mostly just scared for Luna and Artemis, Pluto. I can't reach them where they are now. I can reach Michiru once I've gained strength, but the others…"

"You've already tried your best; it's all they could ask for. Perhaps Saturn will grant the Outer Senshi their powers too. He has, after all, done it before. It would free you to conserve strength." Pluto tried, but she couldn't erase the fear spreading slowly across her future Queen's face.

"What if the others get pulled in too? We might lose them. What if Mamo-chan can't fight it? And then…Chibi-usa might not exist. Crystal Tokyo might not exist," she whispered softly. "We have to do it right this time." She fell silent with her thoughts.

A pang went through her heart. _Small Lady._ Resolve rippled through her rigid form. She could not interfere! The gloved fingers gripping the Time Staff tightened for a moment and then relaxed. They would not fail. She once knew the future and it was glorious, she had to have faith.

"The future is yet to be decided," Serenity said, hope once again shining in her eyes again. "But I think we're doing well." She smiled at Pluto, who could only nod silently in acknowledgement.

She glanced at the Future and then drifted back to Present.

Sailor Pluto smiled grimly. It was only a matter of time now.

* * *

"Haruka-papa."

Hotaru tugged insistently on the sleeve of her papa's shirt, but her papa didn't respond. She hadn't responded for awhile now. Her eyes stared vacantly at the floor and her arms still held the limp body of her lover. She wanted to cry. Michiru-mama was dead, and they'd never found Setsuna-mama like Michiru-mama had said they would. She didn't know what to do now. They couldn't stay here, she knew that much. The youma were going to come back.

But there was nothing she could do. She couldn't leave without her papa, and they didn't have anywhere to go anyway. This had been their home, and now that the youma had destroyed it, just where would they go? She sat down beside her papa and leaned against her. She ran her small fingers through her mama's emerald hair, stained with blood and slimy things from that last battle. She felt tears pooling in her eyes and she sniffled to keep them at bay. She had to be strong now, now that mama was gone and papa wasn't exactly here. She had to be strong, even though she wasn't.

She wished that they had had their Senshi powers. Saturn would have known what to do. She wished Chibi-usa was here. No, she couldn't wish that—then Chibi-usa would be in danger too. But Hotaru wouldn't be so lonely. She sniffled harder. Several tears escaped down her face. She stared at the gun on the floor. It had ruined many of mama's paintings, but then mama hadn't cared about that. She'd been trying to save papa when papa came running through the door and up the stairs. Papa's face had been so happy then, to see them alive and well. It hadn't lasted long.

There had been too many. She knew Haruka-papa thought it had been her fault, that because she had led them all here, Michiru-mama had died. But it wasn't her fault. It had been the youma's fault, for killing Michiru-mama. She knew that, she just didn't know why Haruka-papa didn't. And at least mama wasn't alone. She was probably with Mako-chan now.

And suddenly Haruka-papa was crying. Her body bent over mama's, her head buried into mama's cold shoulder. Hotaru reached for her, distressed.

"Please stop, Haruka-papa! Please stop crying!" But the trembling never lessened, and the sobbing never ceased, and finally, she gave in too. She wrapped her small arms around Haruka-papa's waist and cried into her back.

_Saturn! Please hear me! We need your help! Please!_

But the plea went unheard and Saturn either did not or couldn't respond.

She couldn't cry for long, and neither did her papa. But where she finally let go, Haruka-papa still clung to mama. It had been already been hours since Michiru-mama had left them and the day was nearly gone. They were too exhausted. She was starving. Maybe, if she managed to get Haruka-papa to eat something, maybe she would be back to normal. She felt hope blossom in her chest. She had to try. Resolutely, she stood and went to the door, peering nervously out into the hallway once before glancing back at her papa.

"Don't worry papa, I'll be back soon," she said softly, feeling tears well when there was no response. "I'm going to go get us something to eat." She waited a moment longer, but when it passed in silence she turned and walked out the door.

She swallowed hard, feeling her body start to tremble violently at the scene before her. Her eyes were as wide as they could go; staring at every youma corpse that still lined the hall, her fears and her imagination making them move though she knew they couldn't. Already half of them were turning to dust, returning to the nothing they'd once been, but the rest were still very much there.

Her back pressed against the wall, and she did her best to skirt past the corpses. She tried her hardest to repress her hysteria as the blood squished between her toes from the soaked rug. It was all she could do to turn around and run back to Haruka-papa. She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the top of the stairs, feeling the fear that choked her throat and prevented her from breathing normally lessen to a bearable level. She swallowed and continued, suddenly wishing for someone to hold her hand or hug her or shelter her, suddenly wishing for Saturn's warmth and her older Senshi form.

She started down the stairs slowly, her arm holding onto the high banister as though it were her lifeline. The house was eerily silent, the crashing ocean outside even seemed to have stopped. The slowly disappearing sunlight had her breathing increasing to near panicked level as her eyes darted into corners and shadows. The windows were all broken into, and several large shapes lay on the floor, half crumbled to dust, where Michiru-mama had shot them dead.

She gulped and stepped onto the smooth wooden floor—and stopped. Glass had shifted, its small tinkling sounds reaching her ears. Her eyes darted over to the windows, but none of the shapes moved. She didn't move. She couldn't move. Her heartbeat was very loud in her ears now, and she strained to listen to the sounds in the room.

More glass and the sound of something being dragged over the floor. She bit her lip to contain the whimper that wanted to come out of her mouth. One foot stepped backwards onto the stairs. Suddenly this seemed like a very bad idea. She continued moving backwards, slowly, one foot at a time. And then she saw it, near the couch, just mere feet from her. The claw came first, all five fingers and razor sharp nails gouging the wood as it dragged its body forward. Half of its brain had been blown off and its mouth seemed stuck open, drooling dark liquid onto the floor.

She suddenly found she couldn't go back anymore. Her back had met wall, her small hands gripped the banister behind her tightly. Her mind was frozen. She glanced up at the darkening stair and hallway and swallowed. She wasn't going to make it. She had never been afraid of the dark, but the thought of now having to feel her way through the darkness with all the dead monsters terrified her beyond belief.

Her eyes sought out the one still alive. It didn't seem to have seen her, but still it moved steadily for her, one arm dragging its entirely mutated body. Its other arm lay useless by its side and its legs were dead weight. It did not growl or scream as the other ones did, and if it weren't for the awful scraping sound she wouldn't have known it was moving.

_Move._

_Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move._

The mantra repeated, steadily increasing in volume inside her head, but her feet did not obey. She silently wailed for Haruka-papa, but her mouth refused to open.

It drew steadily closer. Her mouth opened.

"Haruka-papa!" Her strangled whisper was ineffectual, coming out as more of a breath of air than actual words.

She tried again, louder. "Haruka-papa!" This time a whimper also escaped from her lips. She felt tears well.

It reached the foot of the stairs, its bug eyes glinting at her. She slid down to the floor; her hands released the banister to cover her mouth. Her eyes followed its progress up step by step. It began to moan pitifully as it neared her.

"Hotaru!"

Relief erupted, followed by joy as her eyes shot towards the voice to see her papa running towards her. Hotaru reached for her and Haruka-papa picked her up easily. She aimed the gun steadily at the youma and pulled the trigger. The flash lit the darkness for a moment, an explosion in the silence, and the youma no longer moved.

"Don't do that, Hotaru." Haruka-papa's trembling voice was hoarse from grief and tears and something lost. She hugged her tight. "Just don't do that. I can't lose you, too."

"I'm sorry!" She said tearfully into her papa's shoulder. "I just wanted to help! I'm sorry!"

Haruka-papa sat back on the stairs, and she looked at her papa's tired face. "It's okay, sweetheart." Haruka-papa brushed her hair gently behind her ears. "I know you did. I'm sorry, too."

"What do we do now?"

Her papa looked past her for a moment, out at the living room or the settling darkness outside and her head fell back against the wall. "I don't know. I just—." Her papa fell silent for a moment and for a moment, she feared her papa had gone away again, but then she spoke. "C'mon, we'll go say goodbye to mama okay? And we'll go find the Senshi."

She felt fresh tears at the thought of leaving Michiru-mama, but nodded.

Haruka-papa lifted her up and carried her back upstairs. She didn't seem disturbed by the dead youma on the ground, and she was grateful that she wasn't walking on blood again. When they reached the room, she saw that Haruka-papa had laid Michiru-mama out on the bed, and in the semi-darkness Hotaru thought she looked like she was sleeping.

Papa set her down on the bed and she leaned over mama's face. She kissed her cheek softly, the feel of mama's skin cool on her lips. "Good-bye, mama," she whispered sadly, before sliding off the bed. Haruka-papa took her hand and leaned over mama. She stayed like that for a minute, and Hotaru could see the shine of tears on her face as she whispered in mama's ear. When she kissed her it was long and longing and lost.

Haruka-papa exhaled shakily and smiled down at her. "Okay, sweetie, let's go."

* * *

They didn't get very far, and only down to the garage of the house before the youma came for them. Haruka-papa had frozen, the look in her eyes turning all at once wild and dangerous in a way that scared her. It was only Hotaru's insistent tugging that Haruka-papa pulled back into the house. There hadn't seemed to be many, but still their numbers were enough to scare her. They retreated back into Michiru-mama's room.

Haruka-papa stood before the closed door, her hands taking apart the gun and checking for something Hotaru didn't know, but then she pushed the gun back together with an audible click and pulled the top back. She knelt down before Hotaru and looked in her eyes. The calm in her eyes should have told Hotaru how wrong the situation was, but it calmed her because she had faith that Haruka-papa knew what to do and Haruka-papa would save them. But she was wrong.

"You're going to stay here, okay sweetie?" Haruka-papa's voice was gentle, almost apologetic. "In the closet, where mama put you the first time, okay? Except this time, do not come out. Do you hear me?"

She began to cry. She understood now, what papa would do.

"Do you understand, Hotaru? If you come out, I will be very angry and I'm not as forgiving as Michiru."

"Please don't leave me!" She threw her arms around Haruka-papa. "I don't want to lose you both! Please don't leave!"

Haruka-papa trembled and hugged her tightly. But commotion drew her attention outside and she pried Hotaru's fingers off from around her neck.

"No! NO! Please don't! Please!" She begged for her life, fear pushing all coherent thought out of her mind. She could not lose her papa. She did not want to be alone in the world.

But Haruka-papa paid no heed and she shoved Hotaru into the closet and pushed the vanity in front of it.

"I'll be back for you when I can, Hotaru! I promise!" Haruka-papa shouted. The sound of splintering wood filled the air. Gunshots rang out. And she knew that her papa was gone.

She listened, her breaths sobbing, hiccups ruining the soft mantra coming out of her mouth. "Please. Please. Please. Please…" What she begged for she didn't know, but as the sound of gunshots and growling started to grow faint she fell silent and pressed her ear to the door. The tears leaked silently down her face and she pushed her heartbeat aside in effort to hear.

And then, the gunshots stopped.

A scream echoed.

"No!" She moaned. Her small hands beat ineffectually against the door. She grabbed the knob and twisted it, pushing outwards. "Haruka-Papa! Haruka-Papa!" Her cries were shrill with fear. The door opened, but did not budge any further. Panicked now that she would be stuck in here, she threw her body against the door, relief wriggling through her fear as she felt it give slowly, inch by inch.

Finally, with a loud crash, the vanity toppled over, and she burst out of the closet, tripping over the furniture and sprawling onto the floor. She scrambled for the dark hallway, pausing just inside and listening for any sounds. Faint growling could be heard down the hall, but nothing was in her immediate vicinity. Another scream echoed, followed by the shriek of a youma.

"Papa!" Forgetting all thoughts about her own safety, she ran towards the sounds.

The sunroom was a mess when she arrived. Glass lay everywhere, as did bodies of dead youma, some of their necks twisted at odd angles. Haruka-papa still grappled with three of them, holding them at bay with a large piece of blood-smeared window. She could not see if her papa was injured, but the amount of blood covering her caused her alarm. The youma lunged as one, and her papa went down.

"OVER HERE!" She yelled desperately. All three of them looked up. One went back down, gushing from the side of the head, but it was by no means dead and it attacked Haruka-papa viciously in retribution.

"Hotaru! What are you doing! RUN!" Haruka-papa yelled angrily, fear making her voice sharp.

She swallowed, watching the two youma rise and head for her, leaving the one to fight papa. Their mouths drooled hungrily. She turned and ran. But she was lucky the first time. She hadn't tripped over any of the youma corpses. Now she went sprawling, just a few feet from the entrance to the sunroom. She lay stunned for several crucial moments and by then they were almost on her. She staggered to her feet and ran again, but a clawed hand grabbed onto her ankle and dragged her back.

She shrieked, kicking wildly with all her might. But as the gleaming eyes loomed over her, dragging her ever closer, she knew it was over. She closed her eyes. Tears leaked down the sides of her face. Time seemed to slow.

_I'm sorry sweetie. I'm sorry I'm so late._

The voice was achingly familiar. The face of her loving princess smiled at her, sorrow reflecting in light eyes. Hotaru sobbed. Her princess was dead. She was dead.

_I too, am sorry, little one. _The new voice was also familiar, ancient and eternal. Her soul filled with that wonderful warmth. _I was led astray. I thank you._ She sensed that he wasn't talking to her, but she didn't wonder who, for she swam in the comfort the voice provided her. _Now, my daughter, Awaken!_

Her eyes snapped open, and the symbol of her heritage burned upon her brow. The youma shrieked, backing away from the purple light that lit the darkness. Her body transformed, her clothes evaporated. When her feet touched the ground, she was no longer the child Hotaru.

Sailor Saturn gazed at the youma evenly. Her glaive shifted in her hand, and her mouth curved into a small smile that contained no joy.


	17. forces of nature

**forces of nature**

* * *

_Dammit Jadeite, c'mon!_ Her fingers, slippery with blood, fumbled for the pulse in his neck vein, but could find none. Sailor Jupiter resumed pumping away at his heart, the count sounding off in her head. She could hardly see his face anymore, the tears in her eyes streamed endlessly. She was sick of this shit. She was sick of people dying, of all the injuries, of all the evil, she was just so sick of it. Granted, she wasn't even close to Jadeite, but he had fought with them, and for them, and suffered just like any of them. He didn't deserve to die like this. What would Rei say, when she woke up? How would she even feel? She was sick of it and dammit he was going to live! She forced breath into his lungs, her throat exploding in agony and causing her to pause momentarily, her hands rising to support her throbbing neck, more blood she couldn't afford to lose coursing through her fingers. The feeling of Rei's nails slicing through her skin flashed through her mind once again, before she forced herself to keep pumping.

She had been lucky. Rei's nails had apparently not gone deep enough; else she didn't think she'd have been able to wake up. She'd pushed Nephrite's too warm, but thankfully still alive, body off of her and wasted the next crucial seconds crying over the resulting pain when she'd tried to speak. She'd seen Rei's body, twitching in restless slumber, the slight movements of a body fighting to consciousness and she'd seen Anna, her waxen face twisted in the fear of whatever nightmares that plagued her, but it was Jadeite's still faintly smoking body that had her rushing to him. Jadeite had been utterly still, and utterly pale, and his face had had the saddest expression she'd ever seen on any one person.

But he was still warm, and so she had to keep trying. She paused again, listening intently for any sounds. But there were none. With a silent cry of frustration she clasped her fists together and brought them down on his chest. Again and again, quitting only to force more air where there was none.

And then joy! As her breath came exploding back at her, and she sat back as Jadeite coughed violently. Her hands covered her throat again as more blood seeped through. Her vision swam dangerously. She watched breathlessly as Jadeite's eyes opened, rolling wildly for a minute before somewhat settling on her.

"That looks pretty bad, Jupiter," he said hoarsely, "you should get it looked at." She glared at him. But then his eyes closed again and his body slumped over. Alarmed, she felt for a pulse, almost crying when she found it. She smiled, glancing back at the others, but the world suddenly slid sideways. She didn't recall blacking out, but she was suddenly looking up into blue sky and Nephrite's face.

_He's handsome_, she thought woozily as he smiled at her. His lips were perfect pink lines across his face. His muddy red eyes were tinged with worry and exhaustion and a tenderness—

"Are you feeling alright Jupiter?"

She twitched, her preoccupation with his face dissolving, her awareness suddenly noticing that his hands were working around her neck. She reached up and felt cloth.

"Let me know if its too tight."

There was suddenly pressure around her neck, and even when his hands lifted away it remained.

"I—" The pain, while lessened, was still very much there. _Lesson learned Makoto baka, no more talking. _Instead she smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up.

"Let's go home then, shall we?"

He supported her until she stood, albeit unsteadily, and went to check on the others. She watched their surroundings wearily, praying to whatever god was up there that no youma would have the balls to show up now. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Nephrite appeared at her shoulder. Her heart beat painfully at her throat.

"Okay," he ran trembling hands through tangled locks, brushing them away from his face, "this isn't going to work. I can't jump everyone, and even if I still had that much power left, that's too massive a distortion for me to handle by myself, so I'm going to have to go one by one." He looked over at her, concern clear in his eyes. "Do you think you can handle any youma that head this way? It shouldn't take long at all, and I can get Kunzite or Zoisite to come with me for the second transfer…"

A rustle at the tree line redirected both their attentions. But she already knew what would be there. Before the first one even cleared the bush, she grabbed Nephrite's arm and pointed at the girls.

"I can't! You—!" She shook him, glaring, and pointed more insistently. _Go goddamit! I can handle myself!_

He stared into her eyes for a split second, urgency warring with fear, and then he ran for Rei without another word.

She glanced around for any more signs of youma and strode to meet the three now emerging in front of her. She cracked her knuckles, loosening her joints and swung at the first one without pause. It went down without a sound. A roundhouse kick to the second one sent it reeling and the third youma she pummeled into the ground. _I'm Sailor Jupiter, bitch!_ But her anger was short lived, as more were already appearing. She chanced a glance back, and with some alarm she saw youma emerging from behind Jadeite. She ran towards him and leapt at the youma, feet first. The whole lot of them fell back on impact, and she took the opportunity to drag Jadeite away from the tree line and nearer towards Anna.

She never thought to look up, not until the shadow completely enveloped her and a screeching cry sounded just above. She ducked, but the blow knocked her to the ground, pain radiating from her scalp. She whimpered, bringing a hand to her head, her dirty glove coming away stained red. _Get a grip, get a grip! They're coming! _She dragged herself upright and staggered to her feet. The world was already starting to tip again. The moment she felt the claw grab her she swung, her fist impacting with mushy parts, and kept swinging until it let go. She stumbled at the sudden freedom, but managed to stay upright. She shook her head to clear the dizziness just in time to see the youma leap for her.

Her mouth opened, and she pushed her voice past the pain.

"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"

Power filled her, and that warm wind swirled about her, spreading outwards as razor sharp leaves manifested and cut down the enemy threat—and then Sailor Jupiter collapsed in a dead faint.

* * *

What on Earth was going on?

Nephrite's consciousness was slow to wake. The world around him was blurry, he was holding something in his arms, and someone was talking to him. Then alertness flooded him, the world cleared, and alarm set in.

"Oh my God!" He glanced around wildly, reassuring himself that he was awake and—

"Calm down Nephrite! You overextended yourself! Calm down—!" Kunzite's face swam in front of him, and Nephrite didn't spare any energy to speak, he let go of Sailor Mars and grabbed Kunzite. The world around him dissolved again.

This time, he clung to consciousness with all his will. He managed it, barely. The world remained faded around the edges, but he didn't care, already he had summoned his saber and charged at the youma. Corpses of shredded monsters lay strewn about, no doubt Jupiter's work, but she was on the ground, unconscious, and more youma had already reached Jadeite and begun to drag him away.

"Get them home!" He shouted, hacking with one hand, and dragging Jadeite back by the collar. Nephrite dropped him by Sailor Jupiter, glancing around to see Kunzite and Anna nowhere in sight and took a ready stance. He waited for the youma to prowl closer, giving himself the chance to rest. _Hurry, Kunzite._

They attacked en masse, and he was hard pressed to defend on all sides. He swung almost wildly, most of his training gone and only his instinct to survive working. His world had gone silent, his vision white and bright. Anything that moved, he killed. When a hand landed on his shoulder, he spun to impale, only to be blocked, his wrist held tight. He stared into familiar green eyes, and smiled in relief.

He woke to calm and the familiarity of the ruins of Elysion. Funny, he mused to himself, that this place could now be considered safe. He turned his head slowly, feeling an ache and an emptiness that needed to be filled.

As if Minako magically read his thoughts, she was suddenly there, dangling a bag of…trail mix? He checked again and the label did indeed say trail mix. Just what exactly was trail mix?

"It's good for you. Mainly consumed in America, but I guess somebody here liked it." She huffed at him when he looked at her doubtfully. "C'mon Nephrite, you have to eat something. There's no fresh food anywhere anymore."

He accepted the bag and the bottle of water that she handed him and silently digested it. It wasn't bad, trail mix, but it would be far from satisfying. He looked past Minako at the rest of the room.

"They're all fine," she said quietly, following his gaze. "Unconscious, but fine."

He frowned as his gaze landed on Sailor Mars. "Is there any rope? We need to tie her up." He gestured towards Anna. "Maybe her too. They were taken by Chaos. We have no idea whether they're still possessed or not."

She smiled at him, a strained, sorrowful smile that gave away how exhausted she was. "We know. She woke up already and attacked Kunzite. It was only a scratch thank god. We're just keeping an eye on her though. She's wounded and it seems she can't use her powers effectively, so we should be alright."

He washed down the last of the salty trail mix with water and discarded it. He made to stand up and she moved to help him. "Thank you, Minako, but I'm fine."

She smiled. "Of course you are." And let go.

Together they walked over to where Zoisite and Kunzite finished wrapping Jupiter's head with gauze.

Zoisite glanced at him, answering the question that he needed not ask. "That's all we can do until she wakes up. But I think she should be fine. She's transformed and so the damage shouldn't be too hard for her healing powers, but like I said—we won't know until she wakes up."

He exhaled quietly, his concern fading, only if for a little bit.

"How are you feeling?" Kunzite asked.

"I'm fine."

"Of course you are."

"What do we do now?" He asked, ignoring the hint of sarcasm in Kunzite's tone.

Kunzite looked silently at the slumbering forms of their companions for a moment, his green eyes opaque. When he spoke, Nephrite recognized the soft clipped tone. Kunzite was _very_ angry. "Nothing. We do nothing for now. And nobody goes anywhere unless I say so. Is that clear?" He looked at Nephrite, and the command was clear in his eyes again. Nephrite looked away. "Yes."

"Yes." He heard Zoisite echo.

"Affirmative!" Minako said, her smile overlaying cheer on their somberness. He smiled faintly.

* * *

Time. Time seemed endless here in Elysion. In the past, the sun and the moon had always risen and fallen in accordance with the Earth's orbit. Even the stars could sing their melody in Elysion's clear skies. But now, as Nephrite tried to stare past the dark windows, he could see nothing beyond his own reflection. He sighed and turned away from the window where he lounged.

Things were very much the same. How many days had it been? Those unconscious were still very much unconscious, with the exception of Mercury, who could actually stay awake for lengthy periods of time. Besides the five of them, the throne room was as silent as a tomb, and he felt uneasy every time he set eyes upon the unmoving bodies that slept quietly on the floor. He still felt empty. His reserves had a ways to go before it could completely replenish itself. The Golden Crystal, it seemed, was occupied with other things besides the Shitennou, and had no energy to spare for them.

"Nephrite."

He turned towards the sound of Minako's voice. She stood just behind him, a smile on her face. She always seemed to be smiling, even when her eyes said otherwise. But at the moment, it seemed genuine.

"We're having a meeting. Kunzite's decided what to do."

He could feel his eyebrows rise, but he said nothing and followed her. Kunzite's anger had faded, but into what, Nephrite didn't know. And if he didn't know the man better, he might have said it would be doubt. If it had been anyone other than Kunzite, he would have been sure of it. But Kunzite never doubted, and made decisions with an ease that Nephrite sometimes envied.

"To be honest," Kunzite began slowly, "I can't sit here anymore and do nothing while people are dying. We have the prince and the princess. Our objective is complete for the moment. But our duty to the people can't wait any longer."

"What is it that you propose we do?" Zoisite asked. "We can't fight off all the youma."

"We're not going to be fighting at all, but we're going to help strengthen their defenses. And the only way to protect them is with a spiritual barrier—like the one at the temple."

He frowned. "But it would take days to find one large or powerful enough, even then there's not going to be anyone to maintain it and there is no way we can find all the people and get them there safely."

"I know. We're not going to look for anything. We're going to _make_ them. And as for maintaining them, well, I just haven't figured that part out yet."

"That's near next to impossible," Zoisite interjected flatly, "the amount of power that's needed—"

"Is exactly what we Shitennou are capable of," Kunzite replied.

Zoisite said scornfully, though there was no malice in his tone. "It's not even ethical. Who knows how it would affect the land—"

"The youma have already destroyed most of it, Zoisite. And with the earthquakes it'll be hard enough to find intact ley lines."

The younger Shitennou shook his head. "We're messing with the forces of nature, Kunzite. Nature never likes to be messed with. We could die if the backlash is too great. And that's not even the worst possible scenario, we could cause a natural disaster and destroy everything in the vicinity and kill everyone left alive. We'd make what the enemy did look like spring rain."

The following silence was grim.

"We still have to try," Minako finally said softly. "They're fighting for their lives out there, if there's even anyone left. We can't not try."

"I think it would be a simple thing to maintain it," Nephrite added. "At the least it only takes a disciplined mind. If people are willing to fight for their lives, then I think they would be willing to try to do this to further their chances of survival. And since it isn't possible for any one normal human being to maintain it without any sort of divine or spiritual powers, then I would think that if we just linked a group of people, instead of a single person, it would compensate for the lack of power."

"That _might_ work," Zoisite said doubtfully, "I don't know how well it would hold off under attack. The amount of positive energy emitted by a barrier would certainly attract more youma seeking to convert it into negative energy. We'd have to be linking a lot of people. I hardly think that there are any persons of power to maintain a shield by themselves."

"I think it would be alright," Minako said. "I don't understand all the mechanics behind it, but I know what Rei did, and I know there are a lot of holy places like that all over the world. It shouldn't be too hard to find people like that."

Kunzite shook his head. "Not everyone builds their place of worship over a node. Although it is agreed that that is the kind of people with the kind of discipline we're looking for." He paused, his eyes narrowed as though in thought.

"So what's the plan?" Nephrite asked almost impatiently. It wasn't excitement that he felt. It was an eagerness, a sense that finally, he was going to get to do something beneficial. He was going to accomplish something instead of getting kicked around by mysterious enemies.

Kunzite glanced at him, a smile curling the edges of his mouth.

* * *

"You're so mean!" Minako laughed.

"I am many things, my lady, but..well, I guess I am." Kunzite didn't laugh, but his eyes exuded a merriment she hadn't seen before. Beside him Zoisite smiled quietly, his eyes scanning their surroundings.

Nephrite hadn't been happy to be left behind. Still, she worried. What if he couldn't handle Rei when she woke up? She knew there had been no other way. They needed one fully empowered Shitennou, Minako herself for translation when they visited America, and Zoisite for protection while Kunzite set up the node. Nephrite knew that.

"There. He said they emerged from the trees over there," Zoisite pointed out. And she recognized the oddly shaped tree that matched the description the Shitennou had given. She glanced at the rubble that littered the clearing and couldn't help feeling uneasiness. Her friends had barely survived this. She had almost lost them. Again. She looked away, staring at Kunzite's back as they strode through the bushes.

They emerged onto a street, also littered with rubble and abandoned cars. She deliberately avoided seeing the few decaying bodies that hadn't been dragged off by youma. "What now? We just look for a sewer entrance? I don't think they would stay in one place for so long."

"I don't think they would just leave her." Zoisite walked a little a ways from them, peering beneath cars as he passed them.

"Fear is a powerful motive," Kunzite commented softly. He moved ahead of her, further down the street.

She stared around the street once more, following behind Kunzite and copying Zoisite to look beneath the cars and the rubble. But there didn't seem to be any…she paused and did a double take. _Please let that be my imagination._ Before she could react, a figure burst from the trees and ran straight for her. Before she could even scream, she found herself pushed back, a pair of stubby little arms firmly wrapped around her, and the trembling body of what appeared to be a six year old boy attached to her.

Her heart pounded wildly in her ears, and her hands trembled as the adrenaline streamed through her veins. _Not a youma. Not a youma. Just calm down._ She laughed, partly out of nerves, heck, mostly all out of nerves.

"Are you okay?" Kunzite asked, having appeared almost immediately. She smiled at his concern and nodded her head.

Zoisite knelt beside her, placing a hand comfortingly on the boy's back. "Hey, how are you doing? My name's Zoisite, what's yours?"

The boy didn't even look at him. Zoisite shrugged and stood.

"Hey," she tried. She nudged upwards at the head that was glued to her stomach. Large brown eyes peeked up at her, shiny with tears and fear. "Please don't leave me oneechan." The plea broke her heart, and she wrapped her arms around him and stared him straight in the eye. "I promise I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe okay? Will you trust me?" He stared at her, seemingly unwilling to relent. "I pinky swear, okay?" She wiggled her pinky in front of his face, smiling with what she hoped was a convincing smile.

In truth, she held fear in her heart for this little boy. She had no power. She couldn't protect him even if she gave her life for him. She knew Kunzite and Zoisite would do what she couldn't, but they weren't the ones making this promise.

He smiled and relaxed enough to let go of her. He raised a hand and hooked his pinky with hers. She knelt down and shook once before releasing. "That's better. Now what's your name? Mine's Minako."

"I'm Peter, like Peter Pan! He was Okaasan's favorite character."

"Well, Peter-chan, what are you doing out here all by yourself? Where did you come from and where's your mother now?"

His lower lip trembled. "We were waiting for Anna-neesan to come back, but the youma came and Okaasan pushed me through the hole." He stared at the ground, his jet black hair flopping down to cover his eyes. "They were screaming so loud." His voice had dropped a notch. "Okaasan told me to run away and then—and then—" By now his face had scrunched up and she pulled him into an embrace as he began to cry.

"Shh, it's okay, sweetie. It's okay." But it wasn't. It wasn't right that monsters took away mothers and left children to wander alone in fear. It wasn't right and she couldn't do a thing about it. She closed her eyes and held him close to her, hating life at that very moment. A hand touched her shoulder and she looked up into Kunzite's eyes. His sorrowful green eyes that could not ease her pain.

"We have to go," he said softly. "If they're dead then there is no longer a need to be here."

"We have to look—"

He shook his head. "Think about it, it's hard enough to get away from them on the surface. To be trapped in the sewer with nowhere to run. They had no chance."

And she began to cry. She shut her eyes for a moment and willed her tears away before standing up, Peter firmly in her arms.

"Too late!" Zoisite warned, backing up towards them. Youma were emerging from the opposite side of the street. She felt a surge of hatred.

"C'mon, we'll go back—!" But even as she turned to follow Kunzite, a growling was heard before several shapes launched into the air towards her. She backed away in alarm, and Kunzite was suddenly in front of her, meeting the youma with a blade in each hand, the force pushing him back several inches. But he held his ground. She watched him fight before remembering the youma from behind and turning around. She swallowed, holding Peter's head close to her and whispering reassurances in his ear to calm his trembling and maybe loosen the death grip he had around her neck. They were closing in on all sides fast and she had no way to defend herself.

"Take them home, Zoisite!" Kunzite yelled from behind her, and then— "HEAVEN'S WRATH!"

The world went shining and white, and she struggled to balance her weight with that of Peter's as the ground shook. When it dissipated, the youma in their immediate vicinity had turned to gray ash on the ground, but by then the others had reached them. She backed away from the approaching youma, just barely managing to avoid a tag to her arm. She turned to run to Zoisite who, though nearer to her than before, was still entangled with youma. They were everywhere, and they were blocking her way. And she had no chance of getting through.

_I'm going to die._

"CELESTIAL STORM RADIATION!"

Her head shot towards the familiar voice, joy surfacing just as a dome of pure golden light washed over her, followed by a warm wind swirling violently around her. The ground trembled again with the magnitude of power pushing through it. She glanced over and saw the youma screaming, but could not hear them, and she watched as they crumbled, a satisfactory smile curving her lips. When the light died away all that remained were herself, Peter, and a stunned Kunzite and Zoisite.

"I'm glad," she said, eyes overflowing with relief. Despite herself, she couldn't manage to completely suppress the doubts that rose in her mind as she smiled at her Senshi sisters. Now most of all, why was she the only one to not have regained her Senshi powers? Had Venus abandoned her? Had Serenity abandoned her? Was this her punishment because she had failed as a leader?

_But—_"I'm glad," she repeated. And she was.

Introductions aside, the Outer Senshi were overjoyed to learn that Usagi had survived, as had the Inner Senshi. And once Kunzite explained their mission, Sailor Neptune volunteered to accompany them, as she knew enough of Russian to be of some help.

"No." Uranus glared at her lover.

But Neptune was equally as adamant. "Haruka."

Minako's heart caught in her throat. Instead of arguing, as she had expected, and though her face remained unreadable—a pleading, haunted look entered Haruka's eyes. Sailor Neptune softened and drew closer to her lover. She looked away, somehow feeling voyeuristic.

She smiled then, a knee jerk reaction to her surprise as she found Sailor Saturn beside her. The dark haired Senshi returned the smile and tugged on Peter's sleeve. "Let's go somewhere safer and let Minako work okay?"

Minako nodded encouragingly at him and allowed him to slide off of her. Saturn took his hand and stepped back.

"If you die again, I'm not going to forgive you." She heard Uranus threaten, and Minako had to smile—though the story behind it was probably as painful as when she'd lost Rei and Makoto.

Sailor Neptune merely hugged her lover and looked at Kunzite. "Ready when you are." She glanced back towards Sailor Uranus. "Tell her I said hello."

The blonde Senshi nodded grudgingly. "I will."

Kunzite nodded at Zoisite, "we'll come back at the end of the day," and the four of them departed for Elysion.

She exhaled, a small part of her relieved that at least she had been able to save one life. She glanced over at Kunzite. "Where to first?"

"We'll check out existing nodes first, and we'll go from there. What lies that way?"

She stared in the direction he pointed in but it was Sailor Neptune who answered first. "Inner city."

"Then that is the way we go first."

* * *

The faint and steady sound of gunshots and heavy artillery reached her ears in the noon high sun. They stood on the highest building in the vicinity, viewing what was left of downtown Tokyo. Sailor Neptune stood beside her, while Kunzite crouched at the edge.

"It's ruined," Minako said softly, her voice thick with tears she could not cry. "It's ruined."

Much of the buildings had been reduced to dust. The ones still standing looked neither intact nor stable. Several feet of murky water, in which floated debris, lapped gently against second story windows. On top of it all, youma crawled every inch of surface she saw, a seething mass of black ink on gray concrete. They avoided the water, but other than that—

"It's going to take years to rebuild it all," she added, shaking her head. "It's ruined." She had loved this city, renowned for its breathtaking architectural marvels that far surpassed what she'd seen back in London. She had loved it and it was gone.

"There." Kunzite pointed towards the direction the youma headed towards. They could see the youma climbing the sides of the buildings only to mysteriously fall off. "Looks like we came just in time."

"The Assembly Building," Sailor Neptune identified. She glanced at Minako and smiled sympathetically. "It's alright, Minako. We can always rebuild."

She had no reply for her, but Neptune's cool countenance helped to sooth her own disquiet. They were just buildings. Not lives, like they were trying to save now. Just buildings.

"There are two small nodes. One in either direction of where we stand. If we were to combine them, I'd think it would be enough to cover this entire area, provided we have enough people to maintain it. I feel no one currently linked to either."

"I guess that explains why we get earthquakes all the time," she commented with a wry smile. She held a hand to her ear to try and keep her hair from whipping about her face. Somewhere in the back of her mind she pouted that even up here, with the wind whipping almost violently around them, Michiru—and even Kunzite with a hair length that nearly rivaled her own—could manage to stay looking so composed. Why was it that the wind only seemed to whip _her_ hair in all crazy directions?

Kunzite stood and turned towards them. "If you will, Lady Neptune?" He half bowed and moved out of the way.

"My pleasure," she replied with a tilted nod of her own. She perched at the very edge and lifted her hands in a graceful arc. Light gathered in her hands just as she fully extended her arms and formed into a very familiar globe.

"NEPTUNE TSUNAMI SPIRAL!"

True to its name, the orb of turquoise light struck the building and rolled earthwards, its crest slamming into the water below and pushing all youma to the very bottom where both demon and water disintegrated. The water rolled back to crash against the buildings, but it was the like the youma had never been there.

Kunzite turned to Minako and held out his hand to her—a gesture that made her heart skip a beat and her fears melt away into a smile that reciprocated his. "Let's go meet them shall we?"


	18. interlude v: i've missed you

**interlude V: i've missed you**

* * *

"_Mamo-chan._"

His gaze fell. He was a bit confused, and more than a little bit disoriented. He'd been watching his surroundings for some time. The warm golden light pulsated with inky cold blackness, twining and twisting in silent battle. Neither had gained an advantage for some time. Her sweet face stared up at him, open and accepting and loving. Her face that he had loved so much and feared so much in his dreams.

"It's you."

Her smile faltered slightly, but her arms rose to wrap around him.

"_It's me, Usagi, Usako, Serenity! Don't you remember?_"

He looked up again. He felt suddenly tired.

"I don't think I ever really forgot."

Her head bowed and her forehead rested on his chest. "_No, you never did._" She sounded sad, and he suddenly felt very guilty.

"How can you love someone with so much darkness in them?"

Her face rose to meet his again. "_Ie, you are loving, you are kind._"

"I am cruel, I am cold. I was always as such. You were the only one to ever make me care. You and the Senshi were the ones that gave me companionship and family. Without you what would I have been? And I killed you."

She had no reply for him. Those flawless pink lips compressed into a distressed pout, one small corner sucked in and abused between teeth.

He sighed and dropped his head to inhale the sweet scent of her hair. It comforted him even now.

"_Now isn't the time, Mamo-chan. Your friends and family need you. I need you. It's time to finally wake up and face who you truly are._" She looked up at him. "_No more running, no more hiding._"

He smiled. "You have grown haven't you? Has it been so long?"

Her face grew tearful and it was all the answer he needed as she buried it into his shirt. He suddenly felt lighter. The air around him pulsated less, intertwined more. Chaos was irreparably apart of him. It was time he stopped fighting it.

Would it happen a third time? Twice he had already been turned against his beloved. Was he a danger to her? He'd already pushed her away once, and it had proved disastrous. He had almost lost her. To neglect, to endanger. Which was the lesser of two evils? At least, in his presence he would bring her happiness and protection in all his power, even if it sometimes wasn't enough. He had to try didn't he?

He'd spent an eternity trapped inside Chaos. He'd forgotten her. Forgotten all of them. But her light had shown him the way, in that final battle. His own counterpart, Tsukikage no Knight, had shown him the way though it was only now that he realized it.

"I'm coming, Usako. Wait for me."

"_Always._"

His world faded away.

They all rested. He could see their exhaustion plainly. He looked past Nephrite's stunned face and moved quietly for the coffin that contained his beloved. His hands contacted the glass and images flashed through his mind, causing him momentary pause. This had been made with love. It hadn't been the intent. It was unrecognized and very subtle and saturated with darkness, but love had been there nonetheless. His hands reached for the minute places to trigger the release and the glass disappeared without a sound. He reached for her almost eagerly, lifting her cold limp body into an embrace, and pushing aside his darkness he reached deep within him for the eternal power that would revive her. She began to glow a pure soft white, the Ginzoushou resonating with his own Golden Crystal. Together gold and white intertwined and became whole, and when he looked down her ethereally silver eyes stared at him full of joy and love and her arms wrapped around him lovingly.

He could not allow the darkness to taint her.

"I've missed you."

He sighed.


	19. interlude vi: army of darkness

**interlude VI: army of darkness**

* * *

The moon.

Its powder white surface, cratered from an ancient battle no human would ever know of, had remained mostly undisturbed—until now.

The unseen skeleton of a fallen kingdom now crawled with demons, born of a darkness yet to be stopped. They filled the surface until black tainted white and were altogether gray.

In the center of the seething mass of youma, they stood silently, their hands raised before them, their dark powers intermingling and warping the space before them until a small tear could be seen, growing steadily larger. Their faces were identical, sweat pouring silently down milky white skin and bejeweled eyes staring in concentration.

When the tear finally reached higher and wider than all creatures on the field, and plain green fields could be seen within the confines of the portal, they dropped their hands, their bodies sagging in fatigue.

"Is it large enough?" The man asked wearily. They could not maintain this distortion for long— soon it would collapse in upon itself and he would not die such a foolish death.

"It will have to do," the woman replied, her breathing heavy. "The carnage will serve to amplify it."

"_GO,_" she commanded them, her voice magnified a thousand fold and echoing across empty space. "_ATTACK. DESTROY. KILL._" The youma roared in frenzy, pressing in, eager to pass through. And as they rose into the air, the army of darkness passed through, pouring forth like oil spilt onto the surface of the Earth.

"Perhaps now, they will come." She bared her teeth, her features fierce. What did these creatures of light know about fighting darkness? She would show them their ignorance.

"Will it be enough?" The man asked. "Is one meager little planet enough to defeat It?" Chaos had been right. It _had_ survived beyond time, and It had amassed power as such to reflect it, and though It had been reduced to Its current state, he very much doubted that any amount of power they would gain would be enough.

The woman allowed her head to fall backwards, her gaze straight above into the black void. Her dark tresses drifted gently, fanning out behind her, as she rose higher and higher, her consort following closely behind. "Rest assured, my love, it will not be the only one." She turned and smiled at him, her hand reaching to grasp at his silky white strands, allowing them to slip through her fingers like sand as she drew him into an embrace and they disappeared.


	20. the human spirit

**the human spirit**

* * *

Sailor Neptune woke abruptly, pushing herself up quickly, her eyes scanning wildly before her thoughts settled into coherency. Not too far away Minako and Kunzite lay unconscious. They had been traveling…to America…no, they'd already been to America. And the British Isles. They were heading to Russia. What had happened? Her head hurt.

"Great Lord of the Underworld." She heard Kunzite moan softly, his hand rising to his head. He rolled over abruptly to his knees, wincing as he reached vertical orientation. "What happened?" His eyes widened as he sighted Minako. He crawled to her and checked for a pulse. He sagged visibly when he found it. "Thank the Gods."

"I was hoping you'd tell me," she answered, glancing around, wincing at the brightness. This was most certainly not Japan, nor any of the places they'd recently visited. This was desert sand as far as the eye could see. She hazarded Africa, or any one of the dozens of Middle Eastern countries, maybe China. She squinted, rubbing her temples to keep the throbbing at bay. At least they hadn't ended up in the ocean somewhere. At least there were no youma here. The British Isles had been bad enough. America had been absolutely buried beneath the demon masses.

She was wistful. Haruka would have loved it here. The warm winds blew constantly, pushing her hair back. She could feel the granules of sand brushing across her face, digging into her eyes so that they watered, irritated. In the distance she could see the golden dunes and the faint cloud of dust that lifted with every gust of wind, slowing eroding, probably until it would be as flat as the area she stood on. The sky was an endlessly clear, almost unreal, blue that met the ground in the distant horizon. She licked her dry lips and swallowed the saltiness that invaded her mouth, but she smiled. Haruka would definitely love it here. At least until she became bored with the silence and the emptiness and monotony. And she knew where they would stop first at their next anniversary. Maybe she would even be able to smuggle in Haruka's beloved car somehow.

Another groan, softer this time, directed her attention back to the others. Kunzite smiled as Minako opened her eyes. "Welcome back," he said softly. Neptune studied him for a moment, her instinct telling her that there was something in the way he was looking at the younger Senshi. But hadn't they just met? Then she scoffed under her breath. She wasn't one to talk. She'd known when she'd first met Haruka who she was going to spend the rest of her life with. But circumstances had been different, and past lives didn't count for love at first sight. Sailor Neptune shrugged mentally and gave it up. There were other things to think about.

Kunzite had helped Minako into sitting position by now, and her dazed eyes were sweeping their surroundings much as Neptune had done. "I'm guessing something happened," she said lightly.

"It did," Neptune said evenly, "and Kunzite is about to explain what."

"We were doing fine," he said slowly, his gaze directed at the floor but focused inward. His brow furrowed in thought. "Something's wrong," he said suddenly. "There's a huge distortion somewhere. Its creation interrupted the natural flow of energy." He looked up at them, eyes suddenly urgent. "We've got to go."

"Are you sure it's safe to teleport anymore?" Minako asked dubiously, but even as she said it she got to her feet, dusting her clothes off.

Neptune privately agreed, but she saw no other way of getting out of here.

"Provided no one opens another one. We're close to home." He looked up into the sky. His crystal green eyes still had that inward quality about them. "We passed the major bodies of water already and we crashed after that."

"Let's get a move then," she said, walking to him.

"Let's." He held onto both of them and closed his eyes.

The air around them faded into a familiar blur.

* * *

Captain Takumi Yoshikuni stared out the window. He was a young man, not even forty, yet there were lines so deeply etched into his face. Gray hairs that had not been there some days ago. He had never known fear until recently. Never seen warfare. His stint in Iraq had not counted, he'd been injured going into battle and had come out without ever firing a single bullet. Been promoted without a single merit as a consolation for the bum leg he'd gained. And then almost a month ago things had changed.

A month ago, the world had ended. The demons had come. He'd suddenly found himself in charge of the entire Tokyo Police Force, compromising of some 74 men and women. He'd been visiting his mother in the city while the attack had happened and now, here they all were, barricaded in the Assembly Building. His mother, 66 years old, had died yesterday during the youma attack. Died after her heart had failed and then the strangers had come. The man of steel and ice. He had terrified Yoshikuni without ever speaking a word. The woman in the highly inappropriate costume. She had been beautiful, and she had been untouchable. And then the young girl that had looked so out of place with them. She had been noise and movement where they had been silent and still. Together they had just appeared, out of thin air, out of nothing and told him—

He turned to face the room, his eyes roaming the dozens of people. The volunteers that had "linked" to the "node" provided by the man. The reason they were now having a respite. The reason the youma could not approach more than twenty feet around the building, as though an invisible wall separated them. The ammo they'd requisitioned from the police precinct locker would not have lasted much longer. It was an eerie thing, the row upon row of silent men and women, their faces pale but calm. Various medical personnel walked among them, checking a temperature here, a pulse there. 12 hours they had held steady, but then again, in 12 hours no large numbers of youma had come calling yet.

His world used to be orderly and logical. Precise and factual. Now he fought demons and spoke about nodes and telepathy. And Yoshikuni had a bad feeling.

He turned back to the window. Outside was empty, and silent. The waters were still below and there wasn't a youma in sight. He'd sent out teams already to seize any supplies. He checked his watch. They were due back in twenty minutes.

As if his thoughts had summoned them, his radio suddenly cackled to life.

"_Captain Takumi! Matsuo here._"

He silenced it and limped to the door, ignoring the dirty looks the doctors and nurses were giving him.

Once he shut the door he turned it on again.

"Takumi here. Status?"

"_We're on our way back! So are Hamano and Kawazoe!_"

Yoshikuni frowned, glancing at his watch again. "Why? What's the problem?" His bad feeling increased.

"_They're coming, captain! The youma are coming! Kumiko saw them! We all saw them!_" There was a hysterical note in Matsuo's voice that could be heard clearly over the radio.

"How many? From where?"

"_Hundreds! Thousands! From the North!_"

Yoshikuni froze, his mind wrapping around the image of hundreds and thousands of youma converging on their location. There was that fear again.

"Get back here Matsuo!" He snapped into the radio. "Hamano, Kawazoe, do you hear me? Drop your things and swim if you have to. Just get back here!"

"_Roger._"

"_Roger._"

"_Roger._"

The three voices echoed back at him as he stuck his head back into the room.

"Be ready! There's an attack coming!" He shouted before running downstairs, ignoring the shooting pain up his leg on every step. Preparations needed to be made. Tactics considered, strategies formed. Contingency plans. Evacuation plans. He laughed to himself. There were no evacuation plans. This was going to be it.

His mouth pressed into a grim line. This was going to be it.

* * *

It was obvious that they knew what was coming. There were men rushing around, guns in their arms, occupying every available window there was. Bullets were stockpiled beside each man, the size alarmingly small.

"Do not shoot unless they get past! Conserve your ammo!"

Captain Takumi stood in the center of the room, his voice hoarse but firm. When he sighted them he visibly jumped before his face smoothed and he came to meet them.

"Will it hold?"

Kunzite could appreciate that there was no fear in this man's voice, though his worries were plain in the question poised. But it was a question Kunzite could not answer, because he didn't know if it would.

"There is a doorway to the North, in the middle of a field. That is where they come from. And that is where we must go to stop them," he said instead.

Captain Takumi was silent. "I don't suppose it's too much to ask if one of you could stay here." His voice, though composed, was clearly pleading.

"I'm staying," Minako said quietly. Kunzite looked at her, completely caught by surprise.

"No." The word was out of his mouth before he thought about it.

"No?" The raised eyebrow was dangerous, a spark of defiance in crystal blue eyes. "I can't help you. And God damn if I'm going to hide in Elysion while people fight for their lives here."

He turned away from her, the words on the tip of his tongue silenced. Captain Takumi was looking hesitant, and Kunzite knew why. Minako, though he knew better than the Captain, did not at all look battle capable.

"Get the rest of the people. I'm going to link them all," he said. God damn _him_ if he was going to let her die here.

The civilians were not happy. They were afraid, he knew, but he had no patience for their fear. Cowards or not, they would defend this place with their lives. Some one hundred people, crammed into a large conference room on the fifth floor. He stared impassively at the uneasy faces before him. The ones already linked stood quietly to the side, shadows and ghosts judging from their pale and tired faces.

"So please," Captain Takumi finished, "help us."

"It is not a choice," Kunzite said coldly. "You will hold the barrier, or you will die. That is all there is to it."

Some of the uneasy faces turned to anger and he waited for them to explode.

"Please," Minako spoke up from beside him. Her face was young but there was hardness in those wide eyes that demanded respect. "You are not being asked to fight. There are people down there. _Your_ family, your sons and daughters, siblings, husbands, wives, and even your elders. They're fighting to protect you. All we're asking is that you, using your mind, your will and your strength, help them. Please, help them. Help yourselves!"

The angry expressions faded into uncertainty again and a general buzz began as they discussed it amongst themselves.

Such cowards, these people were, Kunzite thought with disdain. Had the human spirit faded so much in all these centuries? Kunzite felt inexplicable sadness.

"They're just afraid," Minako said plaintively. "Backlash could kill them. They're just afraid."

"That is no excuse."

She said nothing in reply.

A man stepped forward from the crowd. "We'll do it."

Her smile was so bright.

* * *

It had almost been a joyous reunion. Minus the fact that people were missing, that Rei was still possessed and Jupiter and Jadeite were still out for the count, that Usagi had just in fact informed them of who they were dealing with.

"Are you sure it's them?" Ami's voice was small. She hated that voice. It was uncertain, a remnant of a time before she had learned her purpose, her past, her future. Before Usagi and Sailor Mercury had come into her life, when she was a shy genius with absolutely no social skills.

"I've seen Luna in human form, Ami. And if that's her, then the man has to be Artemis. He was a white cat." Usagi's eyes weren't quite sad.

It was something else that made her nervous. That Usagi was not the Usagi she knew and loved. This was someone else. Someone distant that she couldn't touch anymore. What had happened to change her so much? Mamoru was also not the Mamoru she remembered, who would spend hours debating neuroscience and psychophysics with her. He had always been quiet before, but now, Mamoru seemed to blend into the shadows, and there was no warmth in his eyes—except when he looked at Usagi. The same was reversely true. They had changed, and she didn't know what to do about it.

"Look at the bright side," Zoisite said gently, "at least you've found them."

"Are they possessed? What the hell are they thinking?" Uranus was angry, pacing across the floors.

_They have to be possessed,_ she thought. There was no way Luna and Artemis would do something like this. She glanced sideways. Just like it wasn't Rei who sat brooding in the corner, who had tried to kill Jupiter and Nephrite and Jadeite. _And almost succeeded._

For their part they seemed not to notice—no one had seemed to notice as a matter of fact—the changes in Mamoru and Usagi. Nephrite and Zoisite had actually fallen to their knees before Mamoru, pledging their undying allegiance and loyalty in such dramatic fashion that had their entire situation been any less funny, she would have had to cover her mouth to stifle the giggles.

Usagi had hugged her Senshi. There had been a naked relief in her eyes that had been almost like the old Usagi. The watery eyes that had almost been like the old Usagi, but—

"We have to stop them." There was no remorse, and no conflict in that voice.

Ami stared at her. Usagi was still not Usagi.

"When are the others due back?" Mamoru's question was directed at Nephrite.

"Kunzite said he would check in at the end of the day, but we have no way of telling what time it is here."

It was right at that moment that Kunzite decided to pop in. His expression was poleaxed as he took in and realized who it was that stood before him before he,as she predicted he would, dropped to one knee and bowed before Mamoru.

"My liege," he murmured.

From her position on the floor, she could see that he was still shocked. His wide eyes stared at the floor unseeingly. It was the first sign of emotion she had ever seen on Kunzite's face. It was interesting.

"Rise, Kunzite."

The Shitennou obeyed, and only stared silently into Mamoru's face, searching. Mamoru offered no words, his dark eyes were unreadable. The silence stretched between the two men, until Uranus broke in harshly.

"Where is Sailor Neptune?" She asked, her eyes glittered dangerously in a promise of pain should Kunzite provide the wrong answer.

Kunzite pulled his gaze away from Mamoru, something uncertain flickering in his expression before it smoothed away. "She opted to stay with Minako. There's going to be an attack. A doorway opened and an army of youma is about to march downtown. They're helping to defend the building with the rest of the civilians. I need everyone able to come with me and destroy that doorway." It was a given that Mamoru and Usagi were staying where it was safe.

She felt worried. She should have gone instead of Minako. Her English was passable, still effective if heavily accented. Minako was not a Senshi yet, or any more. It was dangerous for her to be out there. She stood slowly and Kunzite looked at her in silent acknowledgment.

"What about them?" Sailor Saturn nodded towards Anna, and Peter, who curled beside his unconscious "oneechan". "We can't just leave them here. Just in case."

"Jadeite will wake up eventually. They'll be able to get out of here. It's safer here than if we brought them to the others," Kunzite said. He glanced at Mamoru again, but his eyes swung quickly away. She didn't know what was going on between them, but she suspected Kunzite felt the change in Mamoru too.

"Let's go then. I'll meet you at the doorway. I'm going to let Minako and Sailor Neptune know that our Prince and Princess have returned to us at last." The last was said almost mockingly, and she stared uneasily between the three of them. Kunzite, Usagi, and Mamoru. Usagi looked slightly troubled, but Mamoru held no expression at all.

"If you will, My Lord, may we take our leave?" Kunzite said, bowing to Mamoru.

Dark eyes narrowed, a hint of anger finally showing through. "Stop it," Mamoru said, his voice low.

Bright green eyes flashed challengingly, though Kunzite's face was stone. A glance at Zoisite and Nephrite told her that they'd known all along how different Mamoru was, for now they watched him unerringly.

"All of you stop it!" Usagi stepped in between the two men. "Whatever issues here will have to be dealt with after the gate is dealt with. My Senshi will follow you Kunzite, so stop wasting time and go." Her eyes had lost that ethereal quality, Ami saw. They were now clear and sharp and impatient.

Kunzite's eyes were unreadable again. He glanced at his Shitennou brothers and nodded towards the Senshi. "Go." And disappeared.

Ami stared at Usagi as she held onto Zoisite's arm. Usagi offered her a small worried smile, and suddenly Ami felt that things weren't so different after all. As her surroundings faded and blurred she vowed to speak to Usagi when she returned. She would find her friend again.

* * *

The attack was already well under way when Kunzite returned to the Assembly building. He found Minako almost immediately, her blonde hair a beacon amongst the dark haired men and women in the room. She looked odd with a weapon at her side.

"How are they holding up?" He asked quietly from beside her shoulder. She jumped, her focus so on the carnage outside that she had failed to notice him.

"About a quarter have passed out from the strain. No fatalities yet, but at the rate they're attacking the barrier…the people don't look so good" She never took her eyes off the figure standing on a crooked light pole outside. "Sailor Neptune seems to be doing well. Ten minutes between attacks. The men are in love."

She turned to look at him. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be closing that hole?"

He looked away, out at Sailor Neptune, knowing she was watching him, but suddenly feeling an ache centered around his heart. "They're awake."

He didn't have to explain who. She froze, and he looked back at her to see that her face had lit up, a happy smile spread across her face before dimming at his expression. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Something's off." He looked away again. "They're not the same. I don't know about the Princess. But Endymion, he's…"

And time ceased for Kunzite. His surroundings faded at the sudden sensation, his mind barely registering that she was _kissing_ him. Minako, her lips, were kissing _him_. And then he was kissing her back, long buried memories surfacing, his arms snaking around her and pulling her close to him. He broke away almost immediately, because what was he doing? Now was not the time to do this. And what was _she_ doing?

"Wow," she said. He looked at her. She leaned against the windowsill, her eyes dreamy and her knees weak. But then she straightened, staring him straight in the eyes before flushing and dropping her gaze. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. You looked so vulnerable, so sad. It made me sad and…it was the first thing that popped into my mind to stop you. I'm so sor—."

She squeaked as he hugged her, pulling her warm body flush against his.

"Never apologize," he whispered before pulling back.

Her smile was golden, and he couldn't help echo it.


	21. survivors

**survivors**

* * *

Mercury sighed, doing her best to eliminate as many youma as she could. Her back muscles still erupted in painful spasms at inopportune moments, but the continued combat forced her body to work through it. And while it didn't hinder her too much, it did slow her reaction. That much she knew. She also knew, without a doubt, that in those moments, Zoisite was watching out for her. He never looked at her, and every time she saw him his face was a mask of cold concentration as he maneuvered through the enemy, but somehow she knew. There had been one too many close calls and somehow she always managed to scrape by, turning around only to see his back. It was bewildering.

She knew when Kunzite appeared because white light suddenly burst from the ground, clearing a space almost as big as the portal. She'd only seen it once, right before they'd taken her away the first time. She was coming to associate colors with them, just like the Senshi had their own signature colors. White was Kunzite, Nephrite's power glowed like rubies, and Zoisite, Mercury guessed it was green. He didn't seem to have extravagant attacks like the rest of them. The enemies surrounding him seemed to just drop dead and she really hadn't had time to study him.

She was glad for the reprieve, however little. Senshi attacks were not meant to be used in such quick succession, and it was draining a lot out of her. Even in Eternal form. Though she had a lot of power at her disposal, it meant very little if she didn't have the chance to recover between each attack. But all too soon the youma were back and she resumed her tactics.

Soon enough they'd disposed of the demons left around the gate. Upon arrival the portal had been ensconced in a bright green barrier, the only display of power she had seen from Zoisite so far, effectively preventing anymore youma from crossing through. They gathered before it, slightly winded, in a loose arc.

"I can't hold it for much longer," Zoisite said, wincing as the youma charged the barrier again, causing a shockwave to radiate outwards. "It's too big, the youma are eroding it, and the portal itself is eating away at my power."

Mercury could barely hear what he said. She gripped her arm, tensing as her back spasmed. Now that she had stopped moving her muscles were rebelling. She forced her mind away from the pain and studied the portal, allowing her visor to slide across her face. Information immediately appeared onscreen, telling her that it was slightly unstable, and becoming more so.

"It's a different gate from last time," Nephrite observed quietly, "there's no evil presence emanating from it."

Sailor Uranus scowled. "Is it really necessary for all of us to be here for this? Some of us could be helping Neptune and Minako."

"I did not want to take chances. The sooner we finish here, the faster we'll be able to go help them," Kunzite replied, not backing down in the least under her glare.

Sailor Saturn stepped up quietly, swinging her glaive into horizontal position, her eyes focused on the portal. "Let's go."

The attack, when it commenced, was blinding. Figures scrolled so fast down her visor that she could hardly see it. But when all was over, the portal still remained.

"Again," Kunzite said tersely, his jaw set.

The second attack was no less powerful, but was yet again fruitless. The final attack was the straw that broke it. The portal exploded, emitting light of its own. The others turned away, but she watched through her visor, awestruck. It expanded rapidly and sucked back in, collapsing in upon itself, pulling the youma into God knew where. Wind flew past her furiously and she braced against it, her boots digging into the bloody soil. She did not want to be dragged into it, but even so and ever so slowly she moved forward.

A step back proved her undoing. She suddenly found herself looking at the sky, her back in a massive amount of pain having impacted with the ground. A tree branch flew across her vision. The vacuum that was the portal pulled her along the ground, and with considerable effort she twisted around to grab something, anything to anchor her. The tips of her boots floated mere feet from the vacuum.

"Help!" She cried over the howling wind, her fingers digging as far they could into the mud. "You guys! Help!"

But the others were unable to come to her, she saw. Saturn had her glaive embedded into the ground and she huddled against it, Uranus wrapping herself around the younger Senshi's body to shield her from most of the wind, her strength keeping both of them grounded. The Shitennou had used their swords in similar fashion though less successful as their blades cut through the soil. None were close enough to reach her.

Sailor Mercury felt the mud at her fingertips start to loosen, and she looked up just as they slipped free and was sucked backwards. She screamed, but just as she closed her eyes in fearful anticipation she suddenly stopped, her body jerking and something solid around her wrist. She almost went limp from the sudden pain. Her teary eyes flew open and to her surprise she saw Zoisite, his eyes narrowed against the wind and his face set in concentration. _He let go_, she realized, her gaze flying to his previous position.

"What are you doing, Mercury! Grab onto me!" He yelled angrily.

Hastily she complied, wrapping her free hand around his wrist. Zoisite had braced himself against his sword, his body flush against the dull side of the blade that was entrenched into the ground. Quickly he let go of the hilt and grabbed onto her, pulling.

They both slid closer. Mercury yelled, glancing wildly behind her. Her toes were just barely grazing the vacuum now. She stared back at Zoisite. He was holding onto his blade again, driving it deeper into the ground.

"Let go!" She sobbed, "Let go or we'll both go!"

He glared at her. "You go! I go!"

"No one is going anywhere!"

They both glanced back in surprise to see Kunzite sliding slowly towards them. When he neared, he drove his sword deeper down and grabbed onto her arm. And there they held her.

"Now what?" She yelled. But soon she got her answer. With a resounding snap the wind stopped and the bright light disappeared along with the portal. She dropped to the ground, twisting to avoid aggravating her back again.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly, smiling at them. She felt shaky, and could barely push herself into sitting position. Kunzite offered her a hand and she took it, allowing him to pull her up. She stared around the now empty field and exhaled in relief. "Let's not try to collapse portals anymore."

"We're done here," she heard Kunzite say. "Let's go."

* * *

It was power, pure adrenaline and power that didn't touch her inside at all. Not like Venus had. She didn't like this kind of power, but it was effective. The wall of youma was held at bay. The barrier was flickering violently. Those that rammed hard enough got through, and were gunned down in a hail of bullets. "Hold steady, people! Conserve ammo!" Captain Takumi had chosen to stay on the third floor with her, the first line of defense. He'd confessed, Minako remembered with a smile, that he was afraid of what Kunzite would do to him if she got hurt.

But, she thought grimly as she sighted on a youma, gripping hard against the recoil of the gun, he didn't have to be worried, because she wasn't going to die here. Sailor Neptune was on the rooftop now, her attacks increasing in frequency in correlation with the number of youma. Minako wanted to check on her, the amount and rate of power she was using was worrisome. But she couldn't abandon her post, not yet.

In the distance, a bright light lit up the sky. Briefly, she wondered if that was where they were, Kunzite and the others. But just then, the barrier disappeared completely.

"Oh my God…!"

"Fire at will! Fire at will!"

Another turquoise wave of power came from above, followed shortly by another one. But the sizeable dent it made in the enemy ranks made no difference. The mass of youma surged forward. Fear raced up her spine as she fired, those beside her doing the same. Angry tears rose in her eyes, all pretense and bravado abandoned. Another failure. All sounds ceased, drowned by the roar of gunfire echoing across the room. Her hands went numb from the vibrations of the semi-automatic weapon. She leaned as far out of the window as she dared, shooting downwards in a wide arc. She was scarcely aware when someone tugged on her arm, and it wasn't until a hand reached across her vision and grabbed her gun that she looked up, startled.

Captain Takumi was yelling at her, dragging her up and gesturing with another and she looked across to see that they'd already lost. The youma were already entering the room from the windows on the adjacent wall. The men and women were already retreating towards the door. He dragged her backwards and into the hallway, his pistol up and firing.

The ground began to shake, throwing her off balance, and she hit the floor hard, scraping her elbows on the carpet. All down the hallway, men and women were emerging from the rooms that faced the outside, throwing themselves backwards before slamming the door shut. They ran towards the stairways. She picked herself up and ran towards them, glancing back to see Captain Takumi drag an injured man with him. She stopped and ran back to them. He yelled at her, but she still only heard a high pitched whine in her ears. She looped the injured man's arm over her shoulder and together they made for the stairs.

It was difficult to move up the stairs with the building shaking as it was. But the throng of people kept them from falling. On the next landing the men and women that had been stationed on the fourth floor joined them in their flight, running for the fifth floor where the windows had been boarded up and all furniture in the building mobilized to fill entire rooms and hallways and hold doorways closed. The only rooms in use were the three largest conference rooms, adjacent to one another. Only one had windows. It was where they rushed to now.

Once everyone was clear of the stairs, men and women started piling things up against the doorway. Several rushed for the conference room with the windows, and Minako and Captain Takumi dragged the injured man to the medical team in one of the conference rooms.

"How are they, Eliza?!" Captain Takumi asked, yelling to be heard over the groaning of the building. She took in the room full of unconscious people grimly. This wouldn't do. Her thoughts flew fearfully to Neptune and her current unknown status.

"No casualties! Why is the building shaking?!" Nurse Akimoto, who had redressed her arms earlier, began systematically checking the man before directing them to place him on the floor. She looked worriedly behind her. "But Dr. Hara doesn't like how weak they are! Their blood pressures keep dropping, too!" She looked up at them. "If it continues…!" She only paused momentarily, before she looked down again, her voice brisk and business-like. "He'll be fine! It's mostly superficial, head wounds just bleed a lot! We'll take care of him!"

Gunfire suddenly rang out from the other room. She grabbed Eliza's arm, "wake them up! Wake them up anyway you can or this building is going to collapse if it continues!" She turned away from the fear on the woman's face and followed Captain Takumi as he ran out. "Barricade this door!" He yelled at the furniture movers, gesturing at the room they'd just left.

Across the hall, youma piled on the ground, their comrades crawling through the window and over them. Men and women lined up with their backs against the wall, aiming straight at them. It was going to be their last stand. She raised her gun and fired.

Suddenly those on either side of her tensed, and she knew why. Faintly she could hear gunfire in the hallway behind her, and that meant only one thing. The youma had broken through one of the barricades, if not all. She blinked to keep her tears at bay, scowling at the youma in front of her. If only she had her Senshi powers. If only. She would kill them.

_Venus, please hear me! Please! I need your help!_

With all her mind, heart and soul she pleaded with her Guardian planet. Pleaded until her gun ran out of ammo and she could only brace herself against the wall and watch with throbbing arms as one by one the others beside her did too. Pounding had begun on the outside wall. The youma were trying to bring the building down. She could see little cracks start to form in the paint. The gunfire in the hallway had grown silent too, with only intermittent rounds of firing. By then the window had mostly clogged up with dead monsters. But the ones alive were growing smart, pulling the corpses back out through the window to make space to crawl in, sometimes taking chunks of the wall with them. She watched for any sign of turquoise light, but there was none.

And when all gunfire finally ceased, they picked up the make-shift armaments leaning against the wall and charged the youma.

It was when the screaming began, as down the line here and there someone was cut down before someone else managed to kill the demon. The tears streamed down her face as she swung, clinging onto her pipe and ignoring the pain in her arms.

And then the world exploded.

Minako fell without a sound, surprise on her face as the floor disappeared and the walls crumbled, her golden hair streaming past her face as she stared at the ceiling that drew steadily further away. She wondered briefly if Sailor Neptune had made it. And then she knew no more.

_Daughter._

"Who?" Minako drifted, watching the steady drips of blood as it left her big toe, causing ripples in the darkness. _Very dramatic, _she thought vaguely. She was dead, she knew. Though she felt no pain, her body bled from numerous places.

_Daughter of Venus._

"Me." It wasn't a question. She was aware of who she was—or rather, who she had been.

_Why are you here, daughter?_

"I…I died didn't I? The building…exploded." Golden light suddenly bloomed, like a distant star. She watched as it steadily grew larger, mesmerized. In time she was forced to look away, for it was much too bright.

_Do you wish to stay?_ It was distinctly a voice now, neither male nor female, and not her own thoughts. It was a whisper in her ear, a warm breath on her cheek. She strained her eyes and could vaguely make out the outline of someone, almost male, but not quite. _Do you wish to stay, Daughter of Venus?_

Suddenly she was aware of the steel beam that impaled her body, sending waves of pain throughout her body with every shudder—pain that ended abruptly at her tailbone. She felt nothing below that. She stared wide eyed at the rubble that groaned above her, fearing that it would crush her even as she choked on the blood slowly bleeding into her lungs. The water rose steadily, its coldness sapping away whatever feeling was left in her torso. Her hands grasped for something, anything, but only lapped at the water.

She whimpered weakly.

_Do you wish to stay?_

And she was back in the darkness again, shivering from the memory of the pain. "Do I have a choice?" She laughed, a little bit hysterical. "I'm kind of messed up."

_You are a Senshi. You will always have a choice._

"It hurts...," she said softly, her shivering multiplying. It was still there, and she still felt it, the echo of her current condition.

_It will always hurt. Such is the life of a Senshi. Can you bear it? If you cannot, then you can stay._

"Why are you doing this!?" She sobbed. "We _don't_ have a choice! We have _duty_! I have to save those people! I have to save Serenity! I have to save the Senshi!"

_Why?_

"Because…," her mind was suddenly empty, her brow furrowed, "because I want to…because I need to…because it's who I am."

_But you failed. Your efforts are useless._

"I…," she faltered. "I have to try. I love them."

And the entity kissed her. _His? Her?_ light enveloping her and suddenly she realized just who it was as that familiar warmth filled her.

_That is all we ask, Daughter. There is no obligation, only choice and the willingness to try. What comes after will follow with the knowledge that you would have done all you could. Do not lay blame where it does not deserve to lie. _

She suddenly found herself back again, the coldness of the water numbing out most of the pain. She tilted her chin up to keep her face free of the water, inadvertently choking her airway with blood as it rolled back. She coughed, feeling most of the blood roll down the side of her face, the rest splattering over her cheeks. A soft golden light emanated from her chest and spread slowly outwards. She closed her eyes in relief when she realized the warmth reached all the way to her toes. The image of Venus still lingered behind the darkness of her eyelids, growing steadily dimmer.

_Walk forth and meet your destiny, Senshi. Lead those you love to battle, to victory, to death. _

"Can I ask one thing?" She murmured drowsily, feeling her bones snap back into place, and muscles knit themselves closed. The beam that had previously impaled her dissolved a golden shower of particles. "Why didn't you answer me before? I called…"

For a moment, she feared Venus wouldn't answer her. But just before the light went completely dark, a voice echoed across her mind.

_Remember well, Minako. Guilt is an all consuming thing—it leaves room for nothing else. There was no Daughter of the Moon to guide me to you—it took some time to locate your light…_

Minako opened her eyes and sat up.

* * *

The shriek was almost as inhumane as the youma. But it was no youma that wailed in grief and agony—it was Sailor Uranus. Zoisite understood the power of a Senshi. He had been on both ends of it. It was nothing compared to the magnitude of the power being displayed before him. The entire vicinity was awash in golden light, and the youma barely had a chance before they disintegrated.

"Death in action," he murmured, marveling at the lethality of her graceful movements.

And then they were digging. All the power and all the weapons useless now, reducing them to using their hands to remove rubble. With himself and Mercury working to keep a barrier against the water that pushed in from all sides. Mercury's visor spat various bits of data back at her, but nothing was useful in determining if there were survivors. There had to be a ton of debris between them and her, providing an effective wedge in her readings.

They had found several other bodies already, more people they had failed to save.

Kunzite's face was granite, and Zoisite knew he had gone to a place no one would be able to reach. But strategically, he'd done the right thing. The six of them had barely been enough to collapse that gate. And there was no way anyone could have withstood the pressure of an attack like this one. If the gate had never opened these people would have survived with relatively little trouble. But it hadn't happened that way. And Kunzite's actions had served to give them a chance, however little it had been.

"Here!"

His head shot up, and he watched Uranus as she frantically cleared away the ruins around—a gloved arm, he saw. Sailor Neptune. It had to be Sailor Neptune. Saturn joined in and they managed to free her quickly. Uranus listened for a heart beat, for breathing, any sign that she was alive.

Then the older Senshi cried, tears streaming down her face as she hugged her lover. "She's alive!"

Mercury stood silently, hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide. He could see her visor had nearly filled with text and numbers. He moved closer to her. "How bad is she?" He asked, his voice low.

"Pretty bad," she whispered back, the shine of tears visible, "she needs attention _now_."

He nodded and strode towards Sailor Uranus. He put a hand on her shoulder and spoke in what he hoped was a soothing voice. The woman was volatile and he didn't know what would set her off. She didn't even look at him, so focused on Neptune that she hardly noticed his presence. He shook her a little. "We have to get her out of here. Let her go. I'll take her back to the princess. They'll heal her."

"I'll take her," Nephrite volunteered, climbing over to them. "You're needed here Zoisite."

For a moment, he thought she would refuse, but her face smoothed out and she allowed him to pick up the injured Senshi. He cradled her gently in his arms and teleported.

"Keep digging," Kunzite commanded, "there are still people trapped down here."

Sailor Uranus glared at Kunzite for a moment, her jaw working, but before she could attack him Sailor Saturn intervened, stepping in front of her. The Senshi went back to digging.

Zoisite stood silently for a moment, watching. Sailor Mercury was nearest the barrier, on her knees and throwing out one piece of building at a time. She was in pain, he knew. He also knew better than to say anything. His eyes surveyed the rest of the group and his lips pressed together. At best, this was an exercise in futility. At worst, shifting the wreckage could kill any survivors left. _If there are survivors at all,_ he thought bitterly. The water was bound to have flooded through already. If they hadn't been crushed, they might have drowned already. His jaw clenched, and his hands automatically reached for more cement and brick and steel. There was nothing else they could do.

It was then that a familiar golden chain burst from the rubble, pushing debris up and away, forcing them to duck for cover as large pieces of building went flying. In a knee jerk reaction, Kunzite grabbed it, staring with wide eyes. The chain of hearts went taut, flexed once, and suddenly they were staring at Sailor Venus.


	22. interlude vii: the invitation

**interlude VII: the invitation**

* * *

"Is something wrong, my love?"

He did not turn at the sound of her voice. Instead he watched her reflection approach, waiting for the feel of soft skin wrapping around his waist.

"What stubborn creatures," he said quietly, shifting in the darkness, "Yet almost admirable in their efforts. Obviously we need to take things further."

The woman bared her teeth. "Humans are like vermin. No matter how many you kill, more will come." Her bright blue eyes gleamed in the darkness. "Perhaps it's time we went hunting, my love."

"Hunting?" The man asked mildly, the barest smile on his lips.

"The invitation will be of the utmost clarity this time," she said.

He shook his head. "We are at a disadvantage in that realm. The ratio of light to dark is still too high. We cannot capture them that way."

She released him and came around to stand beside him. "There is no need to capture them. They will come to us. As for the disadvantage…I have an idea." She laughed softly. "This will be fun."


	23. wrong

**wrong**

* * *

Jadeite woke to hands on his face. Soft, supple and fairly familiar hands that had somehow remained unchanged after all this time. He opened his eyes and watched her. She leaned partially over him, her hair hiding part of her face, her eyes dark and unfocused. The black veins under her skin had disappeared and she looked almost normal.

"Lovely Jadeite," she said softly. "So nice to see you awake. No lasting damage I hope."

He pushed her hands away, sitting up. "Disappointed?" He asked distantly, closing his eyes to brace against the pounding headache that had ensued. His body remained tensed, wary of her. "Aren't you still trying to kill me?"

"Nonsense," she replied, a smile in her tone, "I was merely jesting."

"How delightful, then," he said dryly.

A presence beside him drew his gaze up and he was suddenly staring at another familiar face. Briefly, he could feel joy, for Endymion was awake, but it quickly turned to horror as his master grabbed Sailor Mars by the throat and dragged her to her feet.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Jadeite demanded, struggling to his feet. His hands latched around Endymion's arms and tugged, but his prince's strength proved superior in that moment.

"Stand down, Jadeite," Endymion commanded. His expression was that of slight disdain as he gazed upon the Senshi of Fire. She dangled by the tips of her toes, her nails drawing blood from his hand. Her eyes glared balefully at him. Her mouth sputtered as she tried to speak.

"No," he replied forcefully. "Let her go!" He glanced back wildly to the princess, who stood watching quietly behind them, but she showed no signs of interfering. He frowned, confused and more than a little bit uneasy.

"Go ahead," Mars taunted hoarsely. "Kill me. Kill me before I slit h-!" Her threat was cut off as the prince squeezed.

"You _will_ be silent," Endymion said quietly.

"Enough! Endymion!" He cried, prying at the fingers around Sailor Mars' throat.

"_Stand down_, Jadeite! You forget your _place_."

Jadeite froze, staring at him. Never, in all the time he had known his prince, had those words ever been uttered to him. He felt his expression close.

"_Let her go_," he said, his voice low, his gaze level as he stared at his dearest friend. The promise of threat hung in the air between them.

His master's head tilted slightly to one side as he regarded him. "You defy me, Jadeite? Have you forgotten the oath you swore to me so many centuries ago? The one that to this day you have yet to fulfill and _twice_ have broken?"

"I am in your debt, my _lord_, I do admit," he said, swallowing hard, "but I won't allow you to harm her."

"Harm?" Surprise spread across the prince's face. "I wasn't going to harm her."

He blinked, his grip relaxing somewhat. "But—"

"We're just going to have a chat." The smile on his prince's face was neither friendly nor reassuring.

"Then I'm sure you can release her," he pointed out.

"I think not." Endymion dragged her closer to him. "I know you're there, Rei," he said quietly. "You fight your way out of this thing, or before the day ends I will destroy you. I'll not allow such a threat to exist so close to Serenity." He spun around towards Serenity, dragging Sailor Mars with him.

As Jadeite watched with something akin to apprehension, his hands clenched and his body tensed for action, Princess Serenity approached her Senshi. The look in Sailor Mars' eyes quickly turned to fear. She kicked out, but Endymion blocked, forcing her to her knees. There were tears in the moon princess' eyes as she knelt beside her friend.

"I'm just going to help, just a little bit, Rei," she said softly. "You have to do the rest, okay? I'm counting on you."

It happened quickly, whatever it was. Endymion released Sailor Mars, and Serenity wrapped her arms around her. A pure white light flashed once and when he blinked his eyes clear of the afterimage, Princess Serenity was laying her unconscious friend gently on the ground. She looked up at Endymion briefly before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed. But his prince was ready, swiftly catching her and carrying her away.

He dropped to his knees beside Sailor Mars, half fearful, but relieved when he found her still breathing. Her eyes were restless beneath closed lids and her muscles twitched restlessly when he picked her up and laid her gently on the cot he'd just abandoned. He brushed her hair gently aside and stared at her face momentarily before forcing himself to turn away.

He approached his prince slowly, watching as Endymion cradled Serenity in his arms. He felt a shiver at the image, like a tragedy in its closing moments.

Dark eyes rose briefly to meet his before focusing back down on her. He suddenly realized with a pang that while Endymion's blue eyes had always been dark, there was now _no_ trace of blue in those irises. And that was just it, wasn't it? The warmth and kindness that had been his lord and friend had been all but stripped away, leaving this shadow. A man he had not grown up with, and did not know.

A shadow of a smile tinted thin lips. "I was in a dark place for a very long time, Jadeite. With no light, no hope, and too much pain. You don't think I could have survived it unscathed do you?" Endymion did not look remotely bothered by this fact.

He grimaced, looking away. None of them would ever be free of it. Did this mean that he too, still had darkness lurking within him? The thought made him feel cold.

"You were reborn, Jadeite, by the power of the Golden Crystal. The only things tainted are your memories."

Startled, wondering how his prince knew, he looked back to see that dark gaze on him.

"So it was the crystal all along?"

"Because I wasn't…available, and because the Earth needed protection."

Suddenly they both looked to their left, just in time to see Nephrite appear with a Sailor Senshi in his arms.

* * *

They waged war—fighting to save those still alive beneath the rubble, against the water that pressed in from all sides, and against the youma that appeared regularly as they sensed the brightness and power that was four Senshi.

Sailor Venus had been standing just to the left, right at the edge of the barrier, her arms pulling another body from the wreckage, when it happened.

Zoisite felt it almost immediately, but turned too late towards the explosion of power behind them. The blast of dark energy shot past him and as he watched, barreled straight into her.

It was a horrible sort of slow motion. The surprise on her face before she was enveloped. Her body flying backwards through the air and into the water with a tremendous splash. Kunzite was already moving by then, Mercury just ahead of him. But Zoisite deliberately turned his back on them, again facing the threat that loomed. He felt more than saw Sailor Uranus suddenly beside him, launching an attack of her own. The golden orb was joined by a violet light courtesy of Sailor Saturn. The Senshi attacks impacted on the two figures several yards away and dust, debris and a rain of flood water filled the air. His hands clenched, itching to join them, but without a target to focus his power on it would be useless. Instead he resurrected his barrier in effort to keep the water out, his hands splayed against the translucent green. This time, he poured his power in its entirety into maintaining it.

"What is it?" He heard Sailor Saturn ask quietly.

"Doesn't fucking matter!" Sailor Uranus replied angrily. She stepped past him and right to the edge of the water, her fists clenched and her elbows bent ready at her sides.

"More importantly, ladies, is did we get it?" He said evenly. "And even more alarmingly, how did it come so close so fast?" His eyes wanted to seek out Mercury and Kunzite and Venus, but he kept them forward.

His knees buckled beneath him when the second attack impacted. His barrier rippled like liquid and a sharp pain bloomed behind his eyes. He squeezed them shut and concentrated on pushing it back. Instead of waning, the black light doubled in intensity, drilling a hole into his shield and his head. He lost consciousness for a split second. When he opened his eyes he knew he had lost.

Sailor Saturn countered the attack with her glaive, but the force of it pushed her back several yards and she disappeared behind a cloud of dust.

"Saturn!" Sailor Uranus yelled, blonde hair whirling, shining as the sun caught it. She launched another attack and then she, too, disappeared behind the rising dust.

He held his head; the shouts from his allies became a dull buzz in his ears. His jaw clenched with trepidation, his watering eyes darting around and his ears straining for any sign of the enemy. Slowly, he took a step sideways, sliding halfway into the water almost noiselessly. He kept his back against a large piece of rubble.

He frowned, concentrating again; the green light barely flickered into place. Regardless of whether it held, he had to go for the source.

He moved forward, attempting to pinpoint the source and concentrating on teleporting just below the ripple in reality. As soon as he rematerialized, he was prepared. "EIDOLON POSSESSION!" He yelled, his glowing hands rising up. The enemy froze midair, gasping for air and clawing at invisible hands around pale throats. He smiled grimly, and squeezed.

* * *

_Ow._

_Ow. Ow. Ow._

Sailor Venus twisted in the water, trying to figure out which way was up. But already she was rising, her body's natural buoyancy allowing her to surface. She coughed up the liquid she'd inadvertently inhaled during her impromptu dive.

"Oh no," she muttered furiously, blinking the water out of her eyes. "You can't push me around anymore." She winced at the squishiness in her boots as she pulled herself up onto the nearest concrete surface. She ignored the throbbing mass that was her body having impacted on some hard unyielding surface. She was still alive, so she wasn't complaining just yet.

A second explosion rippled through the water, and once again she found herself drenched. She stared in the direction of the attack. The air was debris filled and Zoisite's shield was gone for a brief moment before it appeared again.

"Sailor Venus! Are you okay?!"

Surprised, she turned to see Mercury and Kunzite swimming towards her. She waved them off, and launched herself at the highest ledge she could reach. She almost lost her grip as her injured torso _stretched,_ but she clung stubbornly with all her strength. Scrabbling for hold she pulled herself up and flattened herself as best she could against the jagged remains of a wall. She struggled to see any trace of the enemy, but huffed in frustration when she couldn't. Looking up again, she began to climb, her eyes open for any youma. Once she was above the debris field she could just make out two figures. The air around them shimmered just slightly, and every time a Senshi attack came too close, they would disappear into the shimmer.

"There's a distortion of some kind! Two people!" She shouted. Another barrage of Senshi attacks lit up the air, and once again the enemy disappeared into the shimmer.

"For the star of gold, I am the soldier of love, Eternal Sailor Venus! Cheating will _not_ be tolerated!" She yelled furiously.

"VENUS ENDURING KISS HEART!"

Time slowed. Her head tilted coyly as she smirked at them. Golden light flashed, traveling the length of her body and isolating to the tips of her index and middle finger. She brought them to her mouth in a seductive kiss and blew.

A single intense beam of light shot across the air, and impacted on—nothing. The distortion, along with the attackers, had closed.

Huffing, she leaned forward and dropped down below, landing on her feet and staggering back against the wall at the pain that shot through her body. She bore it silently, gritting her teeth. Her arms wrapped around her middle, lessening the ache as she applied pressure.

"Not bad," Kunzite said, smiling faintly as he gazed down at her. She grinned at him, feeling a sudden surge of affection at how pitiful he looked wet.

"Yes, they're gone," Sailor Mercury agreed breathlessly. She was staring the direction of Uranus and the others, a worried expression on her face and data scrolling furiously down her visor.

Sailor Venus touched her shoulder. "What's wrong Mercury?"

The blue Senshi stayed quiet for a moment longer. "Sailor Uranus and Sailor Saturn seem to be fine. But Zoisite…his shield disappeared some minutes ago and…we're too late. The water's completely flooded the remains."

She was stunned. She'd totally forgotten. She'd—. Her hands clenched, and her mouth worked, but no sounds came out. How could she have forgotten them? The people she'd desperately tried to help? Irresponsible. Unacceptable.

"And," Mercury said, even quieter, "I can't find Zoisite anywhere."

* * *

"_What happened?_" Mamoru's tone was dangerous.

Sailor Uranus wanted to punch him. Sailor Saturn leaned against her, nursing her right arm close against her chest. They sat silently beside Neptune, whose pale face showed no signs of reviving.

_Wake up, Michiru. How am I supposed to stay angry with you when you're looking like this? Wake up._

"We…were careless," Kunzite said tonelessly. "They caught us by complete surprise."

"We had more important things to worry about!" Venus argued. "We had lives to save!"

"And did you save any of those lives?" Mamoru inquired quietly.

She looked up in time to see Venus flinch horribly. Kunzite placed a hand on her shoulder, but did not say anything.

"More importantly," she interrupted loudly, glaring at the Prince of the Earth. "What is wrong with Serenity? She did _not_ look like that when we left here."

"She is resting," was all that the man allowed, barely even glancing at her.

She again resisted the urge to go hurt the arrogant toad. She glanced at Serenity again, whose face was as pale as Michiru's. _Resting my ass._ Something was wrong. She knew she should have said something earlier when she sensed something off about her Princess. She looked at Mamoru again. Something was wrong with both of them. She didn't know whether to be worried or angry. Anger she could deal with, anger she could keep in check. Worry was an animal she couldn't control.

"What's done is done," Sailor Mercury said quietly, kneeling beside the princess. "What do we do now?"

"Isn't it obvious? We go save Zoisite. I don't want to have to fight another Rei," Jadeite said.

"Impossible," Mamoru said flatly. "Shitennou powers are greatly diminished once off the surface of this planet. You will not stand a chance at what we'll find there. And as of now, there are only four Senshi in action, one of which is injured."

"I can fight," Sailor Saturn said firmly. Uranus stroked her hair gently in reply, smiling briefly.

"I myself am still linked to Chaos, however infinitesimal," he continued, ignoring the smallest Senshi, "and I can't guarantee that it won't try to possess me at any given opportunity, no matter how small. And furthermore—." He looked down, his opaque eyes softening as he gazed as Serenity. "We no longer have the aid of the Ginzuishou."


	24. interlude iix: answers

**interlude IIX: answers**

* * *

Centuries, Millennia, no—Eternity. This place was Eternity and thusly she was also in a sense eternal.

That was how long she'd existed.

Sailor Pluto had never considered herself wise, but there was a great deal of knowledge that she had amassed since her creation. And yet, and yet, as she watched Sailor Moon leap into the Cauldron once again, watched as her princess fought the darkness and shielded her eyes against the glare of the Ginzuishou, she couldn't help but wonder—just what was she missing?

She'd lost count of the times she'd watched the scene play out, from the final encounter with the traitor Senshi, herself included, to the final moment when Chaos shattered beneath the purity and power of the crystal. Its destruction had left Serenity alone, and she had endeavored to revive her Senshi as she always had.

But the moment between then and Usagi waking up in her bed, alone, was something that she could not see. There was an empty spot that told her the Ginzuishou had done its job, had rearranged time and space to allow the Senshi to be revived and reinserted into their lives. Just what had happened? How had Chaos gotten hold of three of their members so immediately after defeat? Or had it never released them at all?

Mamoru, Luna, and Artemis. They'd died before the Senshi, spent the longest in the Cauldron. Had they been so far gone that the light of the Ginzuishou could not reach them? The short time Sailor Mars had spent inside Chaos had almost completely warped her. Luna and Artemis had been inside for a much longer period. Mamoru, she knew, had the Golden Crystal to aid him. And even then, it hadn't been able to completely rid his body of the darkness that had inhabited for so long. Luna and Artemis had no such power. Could they even reverse the damage anymore?

And why had the Senshi not been reincarnated? She sighed in frustration. Just what exactly had Chaos done?

She had no answers.

"_Hi_."

She whirled, bringing the Time Key up in defense. Her eyes widened. "No!" She breathed, faltering, taking in the sight of the ghostly form of her princess. She glanced toward the Present, searching for Serenity's face.

"_I'm okay, Setsuna._"

She looked back at her princess. "Then why are you here?" She demanded, feeling some, but not all, of the worry dissipate.

"_I'm just unconscious. It takes a lot to use it now. The Ginzuishou._" Serenity looked at her oldest Senshi, her expression pained. "_There's a crack, Setsuna._" Her princess looked down, studying her hands as they wrung themselves.

She was stunned. "A crack?" She repeated faintly.

Serenity nodded. "_I felt it as soon as I woke up. And…_," her princess looked troubled, "_I don't think I'm... I-I think Endymion's power is the only thing keeping me alive._"

"But…you gave Ami her power…" But she knew she was wrong, even as she said it. The Ginzuishou had no power to grant the Senshi their abilities. Only the Guardian Planets themselves had that ability. And after their Senshi had fallen, the planets had gone into slumber. The princess had merely been a conduit after she'd woken them up. And here, her princess stood here before her, a soul so easily detachable from the body. It wasn't supposed to work that way.

And now, Endymion was keeping her alive. Endymion, who in the first place had created the flaw in what had been flawless.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She settled for a death grip on her Time Key.

"_It wasn't his fault, it was Chaos._" Her princess said softly from behind. "_I think—_"

She turned, but Serenity was gone. She turned towards the Present, watching her princess wake up and smile at Endymion. She closed her eyes, allowing her head to fall forward. She suddenly felt very old. Sighing, she gazed at the Past, but detested to watch that battle once more. She glanced at the Present again, watching for several moments.

_There's a crack in the Ginzuishou._

The thought was almost absurd.

She had to try something else.


	25. fractured

**fractured**

* * *

They called it schizophrenia. She knew well what it was, what it entailed. Afterall, Ami had spent her life in and out of the different hospital wards, volunteering where she could, where they would allow her—and there were very few places they wouldn't allow Dr. Mizuno's daughter.

And so she called it schizophrenia, because there were three distinct personalities in her, although soon it would probably be two, and eventually one. Sailor Mercury of this lifetime was still young, no memory of the past and only confident of herself to a point. She was closest to Ami Mizuno the normal girl, for they had lived with one another for quite some time now and she couldn't imagine living without her stronger Senshi self, except she had. And Ami Mizuno the normal human girl had done alright for herself.

Eternal Sailor Mercury was a strange entity all in herself. Centuries of knowledge and a coldness that Ami was afraid of. Her thoughts and memories she kept to herself, giving her only glimpses into a life full of the brightest moments yet the longest shadows.

All of them together were concerned about the situation, and their friends, at hand. The truth about Artemis and Luna, and the sorry state they were all in, not to mention the still very missing Zoisite. The Eternal Sailor Mercury within her was _very _concerned about that fact, almost to the point where she found her eyes constantly wet for reasons unknown. It didn't help that she too, was worried for Zoisite. She had a very good idea of where he'd be, except this time, Mamoru wouldn't be there to rescue him. She didn't want to think about what Luna and Artemis would do to him.

No one was dealing with anything very well; then again, no one was really in any _condition_ to deal with the situation. Neither Sailor Neptune, Jupiter, nor Mars had so much as stirred since however long ago. Speaking of which, the lack of time in this place was driving her crazy. Had hours passed? Minutes? Days? she didn't know. She had always been very time-oriented, but this—she looked down at the broken watch on her wrist again. She was fidgeting and restless and she couldn't help it.

At least Usagi had woken up, however briefly. She had smiled so sweetly at Mamoru, like the old Usagi, before succumbing to unconsciousness again. It had made her feel a little bit better. The relieved look on Mamoru's face, the first normal look she'd seen him with since he'd returned, had made her feel even better. And at least, Saturn had healed what injuries she could. They were now all much better and little worse. Even Venus' ribs had been dealt with, and her own back was on the mend. If only the Senshi would wake up. If only the woman named Anna would wake up. Saturn hadn't felt much from that one, but none of them had yet informed the little boy that still clung to her side.

_If only Zoisite weren't missing, and all those people hadn't die._

She sighed. She didn't want to think about the bodies still trapped beneath the rubble, faceless and nameless to her but haunting her all the same. She glanced down at the dark head resting in her lap, recharging after her healing sessions with a quick nap. Not too far away, Uranus, who had finally given in to exhaustion, lay beside Neptune, close but not touching. Her shouting match with Mamoru had yielded no results. It would have come to blows had Usagi not woken up. She wasn't sure what she would have done had it did. On one hand, dissent between their ranks resulted in nothing, but he refused to be forthcoming with any information he had. She wasn't even sure how he would have reacted if Uranus _had_ struck him.

It was just a matter of time now really, now that all the serious injuries had been tended to. Even if time did flow indeterminately here, she thought irritably. She glanced sideways, allowing a bit more vexation to surface. Maybe her sisters would get more rest if they weren't arguing so loudly.

Because for the past however long, Nephrite had been arguing with Mamoru, taking up where Uranus had left off. And it was beginning to grate on her already frayed nerves. It was a bad thing, she decided, that her patience was so short these days. But she kept her mouth shut. It wasn't her place to interfere with their relationship. All she wanted now was for her sisters to wake up. For everyone to go back to normal. For them to rescue Zoisite and Luna and Artemis and the world. Maybe then she'd be able to find her mother, if she was still alive.

She looked down at Saturn's sleeping face again and allowed the innocence she saw to soothe away most of her nerves. Her fingers rhythmically ran through the silky strands, gently pulling apart tangles and flattening stray hairs. _Everything will work out okay._ But she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince.

* * *

Rei could never decide if they were blue or grey, those stormy eyes. They looked at her now with such unwavering intensity. She loved those eyes. She _had_ loved those eyes. Did she? Who was she?

His pale lips broke into an easy smile, a spark of something igniting in those lovely eyes. "Welcome back." She suddenly wished for their link, if only to see what he thought. But it was gone, severed with her death.

She sat up, looking away from temptation, from desire. It wasn't her desire was it? And what was this feeling? This terrible suffocating feeling hovering just beneath confusion and her past self? She took a moment to consider it, this foreign ill that had entered her body and still yet remained.

"What have I done?" She asked sharply, fully knowing the answering, finally recognizing the darkness for what it was inside her. "Chaos." Its name sounded terribly familiar falling from her lips. It echoed down her spine in a chill, sending tendrils of unease along her skin. She finally turned to him, staring at him. "Jadeite." This name was soft and full of memory. She _knew_ him.

Something crumpled inside those eyes, and he looked away momentarily, unable to bear the weight of her gaze. Unease flitted through her again. "I'm not Mars, Jadeite." They lifted again to meet her, questioning and hesitant in the same breath. But even as she said it, the desire was within her. To hold. To love. To strike. To kill. She was being torn apart. Rei looked away. "I'm not her." She felt her face twist into a frown. She was confused again. She was Rei Ayanami. She did not know this man so intimately as her memory suggested. She was not that woman. But the power was hers. The memory was hers. Those memories. She shut her eyes against them. _You died. I'm me._ A softer tendril of thought stood out. _We're us. One and the same. _Chaos had merged them, brokenly, inseparately—her soul, fractured into pieces. She was no longer herself.

"I'm not him either, Rei."

Startled, she turned to look at him. The easy smile was back, and something so so sad in those eyes. He tilted his head to one side, soft golden hair falling ever so slightly over his face.

"Are we ever who we were?"

He was giving her permission not to be her, to deny the memories that so desperately wanted to take hold, to dominate. She felt the tears so close to the surface begin to recede.

Silence fell over them.

"Maybe…," she began, unable to hold onto herself, the words not solely hers. "Maybe one day." She stared at him, almost helplessly.

They were clear, those eyes that studied her. His lips held no smile. His jaw clenched minutely.

"Maybe," he said at last.

* * *

To be honest, Zoisite was surprised he still lived. He dealt well with odds, and there hadn't been any in his favor whatsoever once they'd pulled him through the portal. Yet here he stood, in worse condition than he liked, but standing all the same. The darkness pressed in from all sides, a sinister presence that was both stifling and suffocating.

"I remember you," Artemis said, "You're the great traitor."

"As are you," Zoisite replied evenly. He could not read the Mau, could not gauge reactions and actions. It all depended on just how much the man had recovered. And just where was Luna?

"True, the memories have returned." Artemis turned and began walking. Zoisite followed almost involuntarily. He did _not_ want to be left here alone. "But they are only pictures, I can only watch them. I cannot feel. I believe I am grateful for that."

It was suddenly light, and he found himself in a sparsely furnished room. He felt only marginally better. A fire burned dimly in the fireplace, pushing back some of the gloom. He turned behind him to see faded tapestry and solid wall.

"Luna doesn't seem to remember yet. She'll hate me later for that, possibly herself more. If there is a later, that is."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Do?" He seemed genuinely surprised. "I will do nothing."

Zoisite was stunned. "Nothing? What about—"

"What about them? That kingdom was destroyed. This world is soon to end. Why should we carry any allegiance? Why should you still carry allegiance?" Artemis turned away from the fireplace to face him.

"Because I love him," he said slowly. "I love all of them. I love _her_." He stared speculatively at the Mau. "Just like you love Luna. Why is it that that is the only emotion that carried through?"

The man smiled a humorless smile. "It is terrible in Chaos. Luna, in all millennia, she's always been by my side. I will follow her to ends, even if that end is hell. I'll bear it with her."

"Don't you think that's a little bit selfish?" Would he have done the same, had it been Mercury? He didn't know. Duty or love. Love or duty.

"There is no way to push back the curtain of memory. It will either return, or it won't. I'll not allow her to walk that road alone."

"Do you really think she would have wanted that?"

Artemis turned away towards the fire again. "Is anything what we want?" He murmured in reply. "Our goals are the same, any which way you look at it. The destruction of that which is Chaos. Our methods are merely different."

He scowled. "You're killing millions. For what? What's left to fight for if they're all dead?"

"Darkness must be countered with darkness. It's obvious the Light cannot win. We've seen it time and time again."

He had no reply to that. It was truth, that over decade and millennia, the battle had been fought countless times. Would they never win? Would the cycle repeat endlessly? He couldn't believe that.

"Why not try a different method then? If all the previous attempts had failed?" Artemis continued. "You're a scientist are you not? Consider it an experiment."

"This isn't an experiment!" He shouted. "These are people's lives! Do you really believe that you can defeat Chaos with its _own_ powers?"

Artemis didn't reply.

"You're going to lose and you know it. They'll all have died for nothing. You _know_Luna. Do you have any idea how much this will kill her? Come back with me. Come back to Serenity. If anyone can help Luna remember, it's her. She can help _you._"

The silence extended, until Artemis finally sighed. "It's all futile," he said softly. Cold blue eyes locked on him, gleaming. "So very futile."


End file.
